Distribution Functions to Describe the Variation of the Present per Capita Electricity Consumption in India and Future Needs with Respect to the Population

The present mean annual per capita consumption of electricity in India is only around 800 to 900 kWh. This is a low value and it is accepted that it will have to increase in the future to a mean value which could range from 1840 to 4000 kWh. This article is concerned with an aspect which has not received attention so far, viz. the nature of distribution of the consumption around the mean with respect to the population. Since no direct data are available, an attempt is made to deduce the present distribution in India from data available for the world as a whole. It is shown that the present variation can be approximated to be a Poisson-like Weibull distribution which is highly inequitable. The study also suggests a distribution for the future in which not only is the mean annual per capita value higher, but the variation can be approximated by a Gaussian-like Weibull distribution which is more equitable.