energies Review An Overview on Energy and Development of Energy Integration in Major South Asian Countries: The Building Sector Rashiqa Abdul Salam 1, Khuram Pervez Amber 2, Naeem Iqbal Ratyal 1 , Mehboob Alam 1 , Naveed Akram 2,3,* , Carlos Quiterio Gómez Muñoz 4,* and Fausto Pedro García Márquez 5 1 Department of Electrical Engineering, Mirpur University of Science and Technology (MUST), Mirpur 10250 (AJK), Pakistan; [email protected] (R.A.S.); [email protected] (N.I.R.); [email protected] (M.A.) 2 Department of Mechanical Engineering, Mirpur University of Science and Technology (MUST), Mirpur 10250 (AJK), Pakistan; [email protected] 3 Department of Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur 50603, Malaysia 4 Industrial and Aerospace Engineering, Universidad Europea de Madrid, 28670 Villaviciosa de Odón, Spain 5 Ingenium Research Group, University of Castilla-La Mancha, 45071 Ciudad Real, Spain; [email protected] * Correspondence: [email protected] (N.A.); [email protected] (C.Q.G.M.) Received: 2 September 2020; Accepted: 22 October 2020; Published: 4 November 2020 Abstract: India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh (IPB) are the largest South Asian countries in terms of land area, gross domestic product (GDP), and population. The growth in these countries is impacted by inadequate renewable energy policy and implementation over the years, resulting in slow progress towards human development and economic sustainability. These developing countries are blessed with huge potential for renewable energy resources; however, they still heavily rely on fossil fuels (93%). IPB is a major contributor to the total energy consumption of the world and its most energy-intensive building sector (India 47%, Pakistan 55% and Bangladesh 55%) displays inadequate energy performance. This paper comprehensively reviews the energy mix and consumption in IPB with special emphasis on current policies and its impact on economic and human development. The main performance indicators have been critically analyzed for the period 1970–2017. The strength of this paper is a broad overview on energy and development of energy integration in major South Asian countries. Furthermore, it presents a broad deepening on the main sector of energy consumption, i.e., the building sector. The paper also particularly analyzes the existing buildings energy efficiency codes and policies, with specific long-term recommendations to improve average energy consumption per person. The study also examines the technical and regulatory barriers and recommends specific measures to adapt renewable technologies, with special attention to policies affecting energy consumption. The analysis and results are general and can be applied to other developing countries of the world. Keywords: renewable energy resources; GDP; HDI; ECPC; buildings energy consumption 1. Introduction Global energy demand has been increasing exponentially at a yearly average rate of 2.2% since 1965. The world energy outlook has already predicted it to increase by 30% between today and 2040 [1,2]. Among various regions in the world, South Asia is a major contributor, whose energy demand is Energies 2020, 13, 5776; doi:10.3390/en13215776 www.mdpi.com/journal/energies EnergiesEnergies2020 2020, 13,, 13 5776, x FOR PEER REVIEW 2 of2 39 of 37 [1,2]. Among various regions in the world, South Asia is a major contributor, whose energy demand increasingis increasing at twice at twice the the pace pace of Chinaof China [3 ].[3]. The The South South Asian Asian regionregion consists of of eight eight countries countries and and is is directlydirectly responsible responsible for for 6.42% 6.42% of of total total global global energyenergy consumptionconsumption [4]. [4]. The The continuously continuously increasing increasing populationpopulation and and urbanization urbanization in in thisthis partpart ofof thethe worldworld have resulted resulted in in exponential exponential growth growth in inthe the buildingbuilding sector, sector, which which is is becoming becoming a a key key factor factor contributingcontributing to global global energy energy demand. demand. In In these these South South AsianAsian countries, countries, India, India, Pakistan, Pakistan, and and Bangladesh Bangladesh (IPB)(IPB) are the major major countries countries in in terms terms of oftheir their energy energy consumption,consumption, land land area, area, GDP, GDP, and and population. population. IPB countr countriesies were were a asingle single country, country, known known as asthe the “Indo-Pak“Indo-Pak Subcontinent” Subcontinent” before before 1947. 1947. Energy Energy consumption consumption in IPBin IPB is consideredis considered quite quite high, high, with with India rankedIndia 4thranked globally 4th globally (5.57%) (5.57%) and 1st and (86%) 1st among(86%) among the South the South Asian Asian countries countries [5]. [5]. EnergyEnergy is is often often regarded regarded as as the the backbone backbone ofof a country’s economic economic and and human human development development [6]. [ 6]. GDP is usually used as an indicator for the economic development, whereas human development GDP is usually used as an indicator for the economic development, whereas human development index (HDI) is used as an indicator for country rankings in four tiers of human development. HDI is index (HDI) is used as an indicator for country rankings in four tiers of human development. HDI is defined by three important factors: health, education, and standard of living of a country. Industrial defined by three important factors: health, education, and standard of living of a country. Industrial development, urbanization, and population growth have resulted in an extreme shortfall of electricity development, urbanization, and population growth have resulted in an extreme shortfall of electricity in IPB countries. Figure 1 shows the percentage of shortfall of average electricity consumption in in IPBthese countries. countries. Figure A comparison1 shows the of percentage per capita ofincome shortfall (PCI) of average over the electricity years shows consumption a reduction in these in countries.electricity A shortfall comparison for countries of per capitawith better income GDP (PCI) per person. over the The years graph shows clearly a indicates reduction that in a electricity power shortfallshortage for can countries hamper with economic better GDPdevelopment per person. and The is one graph of the clearly most indicates glaring thatdisparities a power between shortage candeveloping hamper economic and developed development countries and [7]. is Among one of the IPB most countries, glaring one disparities of the contributing between developingfactors to the and developedslow growth countries and energy [7]. Among crisis is IPB a failure countries, of comprehensive one of the contributing energy policies, factors which to the are slow influenced growth by and energywrong crisis decisions is a failure and pressures of comprehensive at every step energy of the policies, energy supply which chain. are influenced A detailed by analysis wrong of decisions these andpolicies pressures with at remedial every step recommendations of the energy supplyand its impacts chain. Aon detailed power shortages analysis ofis thesediscussed policies in this with remedialpaper. recommendations and its impacts on power shortages is discussed in this paper. FigureFigure 1. 1.Percentage Percentage shortfall, shortfall, HDI,HDI, andand PCIPCI in IPB over over the the years years 2012–2017 2012–2017 [8,9]. [8,9 ]. ElectricityElectricity consumption consumption perper capita (ECPC) (ECPC) is is another another indicator, indicator, which which has hasbeen been widely widely used usedby byresearchers researchers to to compare compare the the energy energy consumption consumption of of different different countries. countries. A Ascatter scatter plot plot of ofFigure Figure 2 2 betweenbetween HDI HDI and and ECPC ECPC ofof 29 countries countries located located in indifferent different climatic climatic regions regions of the of world the world clarifies clarifies the therelationship relationship between between the the economic economic and and human human development development of ofa acountry country and and its its electricity electricity consumption.consumption. An An analysis analysis of of data data in in Figure Figure2 2shows shows that that forfor highlyhighly developeddeveloped countries (HDI (HDI >0.8),> 0.8), changeschanges in in energy energy consumption consumption barely barely aaffectffect humanhuman development.development. However, However, for for countries countries with with medium or low HDI, variations in consumption of energy affect the overall HDI, thereby building a direct relationship between energy and human development. Energies 2020, 13, x FOR PEER REVIEW 3 of 39 medium or low HDI, variations in consumption of energy affect the overall HDI, thereby building a direct relationship between energy and human development. The nature of the curve in Figure 2 suggests that, for countries having ECPC <5 MWh, there exists a positive linear relationship between HDI and ECPC. It is apparent that the average ECPC for such countries is 1.3 MWh with an average HDI value of 0.64, suggesting that these countries fall under the HDI category of medium human development. HDI values <0.6 in countries such as Nepal and Pakistan indicate that these countries are not self-sufficient in meeting