Investigation on energy sources, consumption and demand in social sector of madurai and salem cities, Tamil nadu, India

Energy is essential for every aspect of our daily life in the Universe and its consumption pattern mostly depends upon population and economy of a nation. The current world energy consumption primarily depends on the fossil fuel resources. The utilization of these conventional fuels is rapid and therefore it is necessary to investigate the existing energy usage, consumption pattern and demand, especially in urban areas of developing countries for efficient utilization of energy. Hence, the present study has focused on the above said aspect in Madurai and Salem, the second and fifth largest and most densely populated cities, respectively in Tamil Nadu, India. We have concentrated mainly on energy consumers of social sectors in these two cities. We have evaluated the energy consumption in the social sector through questioner survey and the energy demand is calculated. The variations in energy utilization are assessed by using cluster sampling method and the results are discussed. Since the energy demand and environmental deterioration are in rising trend, it is necessary to execute the energy conservation measures and utilize the renewable energy sources to overcome the energy demand in the Madurai and Salem cities.