An enormous opportunity

Coal and oil will be the mainstays of Indian energy demand for decades, but gas and renewables can play a bigger role than many expect

"Fewer than 10,000 houses are fully air-conditioned in a country of 1.3bn people who are always complaining about heat," says a New Delhi businessman. "Demand for all forms of energy is going to be explosive-much higher than any economist has predicted." Its a widely held view in India. Huge pent-up demand lurks in every strand of the economy and, over the next two decades, consumption of any form of accessible, reasonably priced energy will soar. And economists' predictions are already very high. Take cars: in the EU, there is almost one car for every two citizens; in the US, about 800 cars per 1,000 people. In India-although the idea feels improbable at rush hour on Delhi's congested, smog