The Morbi manual's energy table shows a total of 3,345,800,000: what does that number mean, and which column should I use?

It means nothing, because the total adds kilowatt hours, cubic metres of gas, kilograms of fuel and litres of diesel as if they were one thing. The gigajoule column does add, to 52,467,276, and shows gas at 46% and lignite at 37% of the cluster's energy.

What the total row adds

The manual's table 9 lists five energy sources for the whole Morbi cluster, each in its own unit: electricity 1,200,000,000 kilowatt hours (kWh) a year, natural gas 660,000,000 cubic metres, charcoal 165,000,000 kilograms, lignite 1,320,000,000 kilograms and diesel 800,000 litres.

The quantity total, 3,345,800,000, is those five numbers added: 1,200,000,000 + 660,000,000 + 165,000,000 + 1,320,000,000 + 800,000. The sum is right. The meaning is not. It is like adding kilos of rice to litres of milk and unit counts of eggs. Do not quote it.

The column that works

A gigajoule (GJ) is a measure of energy. Putting every fuel into gigajoules lets you add them, and compare them, fairly. The table's gigajoule column is: electricity 4,317,888; gas 24,300,672; charcoal 4,487,340; lignite 19,330,080; diesel 31,296. They add to the printed 52,467,276.

The shares

• Natural gas 46.32%
• Lignite 36.84%
• Charcoal 8.55%
• Electricity 8.23%
• Diesel 0.06%
• Gas and lignite together are 83.2% of the energy. Lignite and charcoal, the solid fuels, are 45.4%. The manual says they fire spray dryers, dryers and kilns, so do not assume where they burn: split your own solid fuel by use.

Does the column match the manual's own fuel table?

Yes, closely. Divide each fuel's gigajoules by its quantity, and divide by 4.184 (megajoules (MJ) in a thousand kilocalories (kcal), my conversion). Gas gives 8,800 kcal a cubic metre, lignite 3,500 and charcoal 6,500, the same as the manual's fuel price table. Electricity gives 860 kcal a kWh. Diesel's 31,296 gigajoules over 800,000 litres works out as 0.85 kilograms a litre at the table's 11,000 kcal a kilogram. That density is my inference, not printed.

What not to read into it

• Energy shares are not carbon shares. A unit of heat from coal-like fuel carries more carbon dioxide than a unit from gas, so work carbon out fuel by fuel.
• These are 2009 to 2010 figures. The manual itself says new plants were being built, and the fuel mix has moved since.
• Use the shares for a first look at where your own heat comes from, not as a cluster fact for today.

Your own month in one column, example numbers

• Gas: 100,000 cubic metres x 8,800 kcal = 880,000,000 kcal, which is 880,000 thousands of kcal x 4.184 MJ = 3,681,920 MJ, about 3,682 GJ
• Lignite: 60,000 kg x 3,500 kcal = 210,000,000 kcal, which is 210,000 x 4.184 MJ = 878,640 MJ, about 879 GJ
• Electricity: 150,000 kWh x 3.6 MJ = 540,000 MJ = 540 GJ
• Total about 5,101 GJ. Gas 72.2%, lignite 17.2%, electricity 10.6%

An example, with the manual's calorific values for gas (8,800 kcal a cubic metre) and lignite (3,500 kcal a kilogram). Use the calorific value on your own supplier invoice where it is printed.

What Senseible does here

Senseible reads fuel invoices and electricity bills into monthly records, so a unit's own gas, oil and power lines are on file to set beside the report's figures. It does not measure a kiln or replace an audit.

• Morbi cluster energy and carbon
• Morbi gas and power per square metre
• Morbi coal gas against piped gas kiln carbon dioxide

Sources: BEE, Manual on Energy Conservation Measures in Ceramic Industry, Morbi cluster (SAMEEEKSHA)

Last reviewed 2026-11-07. Table 9 and the fuel price table (table 6) are from the April 2010 Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) Morbi manual. Quantities are for 2009 to 2010.