National Energy Data Systems

This book records the proceedings of an International Workshop on National Energy Data Systems held in New Delhi in December, 1982 and organised by the Tata Energy Research Institute. The sixty odd participants came from ten different countries and specific theme papers commissioned for the purpose on the National Energy Data Systems of six countries were presented at the workshop. These countries include besides India, the People’s Republic of China, Thailand, Argentina, Brazil and the Dominican Republic. There were also papers prepared on data systems for the different sectors of the economy: electric power, oil and natural gas, coal, rural energy and those required for policy making and planning Quite apart from the valuable knowledge and insights provided in the papers themselves, the workshop discussions provided very useful information that has been distilled and presented in this volume. The participants to the workshop consisted of a mix of academics, researchers, very senior policy makers and others drawn from energy organisations, and therefore, the discussions had both a fairly sound academic base as well as an underlying practical bias. This volume, therefore, is designed not only for academics and researchers, but also should be of value to those actively involved in energy decision making. Though the country for discussion and analysis was by choice India, the concepts are applicable in varying degrees to different countries of the world. It is hoped that this volume will shed light on important issues related to data needs for energy planning in developing countries.