Literature Review On Energy Poverty

In chapter 9 Freedman discusses energy poverty in developing countries, he focuses on African countries. Energy Poverty is the low availability of energy around the globe. According to the world bank, the Netherlands today makes as much electrical power yearly as all of sub-Saharan Africa, except South Africa, combined. Access to electricity wasn't even one of the eight Millennium Development Goals that was set by the UN in 2000. There are currently 1.6 billion people, one out of every four, who don’t have access to an electrical grid.

Another pro argument of deforestation is the issue of fuel wood in rural areas. The use of fuel wood in the growing cities contrasts strictly with the more familiar patterns of rural areas. The growth of energy used in rural household still dominates the energy budgets of many developing countries, especially in the poorer countries such as Nepal, Bangladesh, Ethiopia and Nigeria. Most fuel wood is used in the household. The concept of an energy transition, however, is central to any understanding energy in urban areas. As

By contrast in the poorest countries in the, such as Ethiopia, Kampuchea, Nepal and Bhutan, each person generally consumes less than one GJ per year. (W.Cunningham et al 1995). This means that on average, a person in a developed country uses almost as much energy in a single day, as a person in one of the above countries uses in a year. Clearly, there is a link between energy consumption and the comfort and convenience of our lives.

Within the global economy where we are living today, energy consumption and energy requirements have increased tremendously in large part due to industrial and agricultural activities; this is especially the case within emerging countries as well as developed ones. According to Kazar and Kazar constant advances in technology in combination with the population growth have led to higher levels of consumption which in turn has brought about the problem of energy requirements and increased energy consumption (1). The old ways of relying on energy from fossil fuels is running thin because not only are fossil fuel resources becoming scarce but

Many of the biomass fuels used today come in the form of wood products, dried vegetation, crop residues, and aquatic plants. Biomass has become one of the most commonly used renewable sources of energy in the last two decades, second only to hydropower in the generation of electricity. The advantage of Biomass Energy is it such a widely utilized source of energy, probably due to its low cost and indigenous nature, that it accounts for almost 15% of the world's total energy supply and as much as 35% in developing countries, mostly for cooking and heating. . (altenergy.org, 2012).

The availability of an abundant amount of energy in the modern times has brought about higher industrial production, improved communication and transportation facilities and better management of the basic necessities. Development has never been as accessible to a broad range of people belonging to all social classes. The present-day society is so reliant upon the utilization of energy, most specifically electrical energy, that it has become a part of the people’s daily living. The actual magnitude that energy had input in the society is innumerable. The increased cost and consumption and the depletion of environmental resources are some of the reasons why energy production is constantly being enhanced over the long run (Discovery Education, n.d.). The constant improvements in power production have always aimed for the same goal: making power a better choice for efficient generation.

Accordingly, this report focuses on analysing various issues faced by different governments related to energy and the strategies they have implemented to minimse them.

Sustainable energy development must be developed on a local level using technologies that have little impact on its receiving environment in the immediate future and for future generations (Botkin & Keller, 2012). The ultimate aim would be a change in lifestyle to ensure that energy sources on a local level are independent from the current infrastructure setup (Evenson, Zarske & Carlson, 2005). The energy use on a local level can be used as a gauge for national policy to steer countries in the direction of sustainable energy development (Ziramba, 2008).

Figure 2 shows the global consumption of primary energy until 2007. Up until that year industrialized countries consumed more primary energy than developing countries despite smaller populations. In 2007 the OECD states, characterized by a high standard of living and economic thrive, were responsible for 50% of the total energy consumption. However, the percentage slightly decreased and stayed more or less stable since 1965. This relates to the low population growth rate in developed countries as well as changes in industry structures and the implementation of more energy efficient technologies. Developing countries in particular Africa, Central and South America consumed only a small percentage of the world’s primary energy.

The Energy requirements of the world are rising. Hence many parts of the world are facing crisis in terms of the shortage of energy. The viable solutions to this crisis are generation of more energy on one hand and the conservation of energy on the other. The countries throughout the world are exploring alternative and unconventional sources of energy. However, there is need for more sociological understanding of the consumerist culture of use of energy. The lack of respect for the existing sources of energy may lead to wastage and shortage of energy sources for the future. In fact the policy makers on the energy choices of the future cannot afford to overlook the symbiotic relation between society and environment. The consumerist culture of our times needs to be questioned and moulded according to the needs of the future, if the sustainability of energy sources has to be maintained.

Energy is the most outstanding ingredient for socio-economic growth world-wide. It exists in various forms like mechanical, chemical, electrical, heat, light etc. There is minimum amount of energy required for life sustainability. Most especially from the food we eat but fuel energy is needed in cooking and in some climate, for heating houses. Research has shown that in 2008 for instance, the world wide consumption rate of energy was estimated at 500 exajoules per year (EJ)/y. The importance of an energy system is to secure energy service in the industrial, transport, house hold and service sectors of the economy. Energy, invariably is the fulcrum of growth of national economies. Fossil fuels are carriers of hydrocarbon substances. They include coal, crude oil, and natural gas. Its consumption depletes at any rate. Typically, the looming energy crisis is sequel to consuming these fossil fuels at a rate that is practically unsustainable. Besides, when consumed, fossil fuels upset the natural balance of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, giving rise to various environmental tipping point. Effects of this carbon dioxide natural imbalance has its long term contribution to global warming and green house effect. Conversely, renewable energy systems are resources available on cyclic basis and include solar, hydro, wind, tidal, wave, geothermal and biodegradable biomass (fuelwood, animal and crop residues, energy crops etc). They do not deplete on consumption. The application of

Nearly three billion people worldwide rely on biomass fuels (2.4 billion) and coal (0.4 billion) burnt inefficiently on open fires or simple stoves. These traditional household energy practices have dramatic consequences for health, the environment and socio-economic development. Ensuring access to clean and efficient household energy is therefore a major and urgent challenge faced by low- and middle-income countries. Energy is a key factor for economic and social development. Worldwide, more than two billion people lack access to sustainable and modern energy technologies, (Amigun et al, 2008). In African energy sector, reform is rampant, institutional roles are shifting and new players are entering the market. Rising prices of crude oils and its related pollution which has seen decline in ozone layer has seen many countries adopting renewable methods to substitute this. Othere energy sources like electricity are still out of reach by many people. energy needs of the developing world have to be met in a sustainable manner. The invention and diffusion of green energy technologies in developing countries is one of the strategies perceived as instrumental in combating the negative effects related to the use of traditional hearths (Rwiza, 2009).

The biggest issues that humans are facing are all related to energy. Energy has allowed countries to develop into what is now the first world, and has completely changed almost every aspect of daily life. These same energy sources are now polluting our environment, and are a frontrunner of causes for climate change. Also at the same time, a scarcity of available oil, and by extension energy, is a big driver of poverty, and for armed conflicts, especially wars relating to oil in the Middle East. Our dependence on oil is a global problem that requires unprecedented international cooperation. One solution is to make a transition to renewable energy. However, this is not as simple as just installing new energy power plants. The problems that

Having grown up in Nigeria, a country with a population of 167 million persons and ranked as the seventh crude oil producer in the world and the largest oil-producing country in Africa, it is ironic that about 117.8 million Nigerians rely on fuels such as animal dung, crop residues, wood, charcoal and kerosene as sources of energy to cook and to power lanterns, an estimated 60 million Nigerians own generators, and spend an estimated N1.56 trillion ($13.35m) annually to power them. Only about 40% of the populations have access to

Energy access is increasingly seen as a crucial driver for social and economic development and also assists with meeting basic human needs for food and shelter (IEA, 2004). Energy was not explicitly considered in the Millennium Development Goals in 2000 or the Johannesburg Plan of Implementation in 2002. However the link between energy services and poverty reduction was clearly identified, as energy services and modern cooking fuels improved as a result (UNDP, 2005, PG.8).