Assessing Clean Energy Opportunities Through Demand Aggregation in Bengaluru’s Apartment Buildings

This working paper by WRI India and TIDE examines the potential for demand aggregation to implement clean energy measures in ten apartment complexes in Bengaluru. The study identifies significant opportunities for energy efficiency (EE) and rooftop solar (RTS) in common areas, while highlighting institutional and policy barriers that hinder adoption.

• Water pumping assets represent the most significant electricity load in common areas. Across ten apartment complexes with 4,169 apartments, the total connected common area load was four megawatts, with pumping assets accounting for 45 percent of that load. In six of the complexes, pumping loads exceeded 40 percent of the total common area connected load, while others ranged from 15 to 28 percent.
• Rooftop solar (RTS) has the capacity to meet the entire annual electricity demand for common services in most of the studied complexes. Specifically, RTS could potentially meet all energy needs for eight of the ten complexes; for the remaining two, roof space constraints limit the potential to 25 to 50 percent. Additionally, the study found that no complexes had solar water heaters, despite them being mandatory under 2003 BBMP bylaws.
• Energy savings potential varies by building age, size, occupancy, and equipment quality. In one complex, energy efficiency measures for lighting and water pumping could technically save 20 percent of common area electricity, whereas other complexes showed potential savings of only up to 5 percent.
• Apartment Owners Associations (AOAs) face several barriers to adopting clean energy, including a lack of motivation due to subsidized domestic tariffs in Karnataka, high up-front costs, and the need for approval from multiple decision-makers. While some AOAs view RTS as environmentally friendly and expressed willingness to install it, other priorities like waste management and water supply often take precedence over energy efficiency.
• There is a systemic lack of energy data and maintenance for common area assets. All studied complexes had incomplete electricity bill records, and most AOAs were unaware of the specific electrical assets they owned. While elevators typically have Annual Maintenance Contracts (AMCs), these are less common for diesel generators and entirely absent for pumping systems, which are often maintained through ad-hoc, informal practices like motor rewinding.

APA

World Resources Institute (n.d.). Assessing Clean Energy Opportunities Through Demand Aggregation in Bengaluru’s Apartment Buildings. https://www.wri.org/research/assessing-clean-energy-opportunities-through-demand-aggregation-bengalurus-apartment

Chicago

World Resources Institute. Assessing Clean Energy Opportunities Through Demand Aggregation in Bengaluru’s Apartment Buildings. n.d. https://www.wri.org/research/assessing-clean-energy-opportunities-through-demand-aggregation-bengalurus-apartment.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=World Resources Institute |title=Assessing Clean Energy Opportunities Through Demand Aggregation in Bengaluru’s Apartment Buildings |url=https://www.wri.org/research/assessing-clean-energy-opportunities-through-demand-aggregation-bengalurus-apartment |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{worldresourcesinstitutendassessing, author = {{World Resources Institute}}, title = {{Assessing Clean Energy Opportunities Through Demand Aggregation in Bengaluru’s Apartment Buildings}}, institution = {World Resources Institute}, url = {https://www.wri.org/research/assessing-clean-energy-opportunities-through-demand-aggregation-bengalurus-apartment}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }