This paper offers an integrated conceptual framework for the research and amelioration of energy deprivation in the home. It starts from the premise that all forms of energy and fuel poverty – in developed and developing countries alike – are underpinned by a common condition: the inability to attain a socially and materially necessitated level of domestic energy services. We consider the functionings provided by energy demand in the residential domain in order to advance two claims: first, that domestic energy deprivation in its different guises and forms is fundamentally tied to the ineffective operation of the socio-technical pathways that allow for the fulfilment of household energy needs, and as such is best analyzed by understanding the constitution of different energy services (heating, lighting, etc.) in the home. Second, we emphasize the ability of vulnerability thinking to encapsulate the driving forces of domestic energy deprivation via a comprehensive analytical matrix. The paper identifies the main components and implications of energy service and vulnerability approaches as they relate to domestic energy deprivation across the world.

A global perspective on domestic energy deprivation: Overcoming the energy poverty-fuel poverty binary

On the impact of urban heat island and global warming on the power demand and electricity consumption of buildings—A review

The growing global demand for energy from fossil fuels plays a key role in the upward trend in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and air pollutants. Rapid population growth and increasing energy demand in the developing countries have brought many concerns such as poverty, pollution, health and environmental problems. While for these countries, particularly the poorest ones, modern energy is necessary to stimulate production, income generation and social development plus reduce the serious health issues that are caused by the use of fuelwood, charcoal, animal dung and agricultural waste. Solar energy is the best answer to energy poverty and it can provide excellent opportunities for reduction of GHG emissions and indoor air pollution through substituting kerosene for lighting and firewood for cooking. Solar photovoltaic (PV) can be an appropriate technology for a source of renewable electricity in developing nations especially in remote rural areas where grid extensions are financially or technically not viable. PV can also be used to reduce demand for fossil fuels and associated emissions, including carbon dioxide (CO2), nitrogen oxides (NOx) and sulfur dioxide (SO2). The use of PV systems can reduce 69–100 million tons of CO2, 126,000–184,000 t of SO2 and 68,000–99,000 t of NOx by 2030. In case countries use concentrating solar power (CSP) systems, each square meter of concentrator surface is enough to save about 200–300 kg (kg) of CO2 emissions annually. Although there are excellent renewable opportunities in many developing countries, several key barriers have prevented large-scale deployment of solar energy technologies in these countries. This study reviews the sources of energy-related emissions, risks of climate change, global solar energy potential, sustainability indicators of renewable energies, environmental impacts of fossil fuels and renewable energies, benefits of solar energy utilization. It also discusses barriers to widespread use of solar energy.

Potential of solar energy in developing countries for reducing energy-related emissions

https://eprints.lancs.ac.uk/78869/1/1_s2.0_S0301421516301227_main.pdf

Conceptualising energy use and energy poverty using a capabilities framework

The use of renewable energy resources, such as solar, wind, and biomass will not diminish their availability. Sunlight being a constant source of energy is used to meet the ever-increasing energy need. This review discusses the world's energy needs, renewable energy technologies for domestic use, and highlights public opinions on renewable energy. A systematic review of the literature was conducted from 2009 to 2018. During this process, more than 300 articles were classified and 42 papers were filtered for critical review. The literature analysis showed that despite serious efforts at all levels to reduce reliance on fossil fuels by promoting renewable energy as its alternative, fossil fuels continue to contribute 73.5% to the worldwide electricity production in 2017. Conversely, renewable sources contributed only 26.5%. Furthermore, this study highlights that the lack of public awareness is a major barrier to the acceptance of renewable energy technologies. The results of this study show that worldwide energy crises can be managed by integrating renewable energy sources in the power generation. Moreover, in order to facilitate the development of renewable energy technologies, this systematic review has highlighted the importance of public opinion and performed a real-time analysis of public tweets. This example of tweet analysis is a relatively novel initiative in a review study that will seek to direct the attention of future researchers and policymakers toward public opinion and recommend the implications to both academia and industries.

/pdf/towards-sustainable-energy-a-systematic-review-of-renewable-2s2gfrcejw.pdf

Towards Sustainable Energy: A Systematic Review of Renewable Energy Sources, Technologies, and Public Opinions

This paper presents a literature review addressing the public acceptance of renewable energy as a replacement for fossil fuels in electricity production. This review was motivated by the global tendency for a substitution of conventional fuels by renewable energy sources (RES) during the global financial crisis. It studies research on the preferences and attitudes of local communities towards investments in renewable energy projects and their perception of the use of new energy technologies in their daily lives, through various case studies worldwide. An effort is made to identify the parameters that influence consumers' energy behaviour, together with their interest, or lack thereof, in the environmental impact of using fossil fuels to produce energy and their willingness to reduce it. Applications of contingent valuation are examined, which are employed to analyse public attitudes towards the use of RES for electricity production. Willingness-to-pay is observed to be correlated to socioeconomic characteristics including education, interest in environmental issues and knowledge of RES. Finally, the profile of a typical green energy consumer and appropriate policy paths for the penetration of RES into the energy market are outlined.

Social acceptance of renewable energy sources: A review of contingent valuation applications

Financial crisis and energy consumption: A household survey in Greece

Social acceptance of renewable energy projects: A contingent valuation investigation in Western Greece

Inputs to the planning and decision-making process addressing environmental and energy issues include expert opinions, public attitudes and perceptions. This research investigates the attitudes of local communities of Western Greece towards renewable energy and documents the existence of distinct household groups. Data were collected from 201 households via a questionnaire. Respondents were either young or around 40 to 50 years of age, mostly university or high school graduates, with a family income less than 5000 euros. Principal Components were extracted from household attitudes towards renewable energy projects. Cluster analysis revealed two clusters based on key demographic variables (age, years of education and average income) and principal component scores. The first cluster contained respondents who were older, less educated and economically weaker; the second contained younger, better educated and higher income respondents. Members of the better-off cluster thought that they were more aware of renewable energy, felt stronger about its future role in the energy mix and were more optimistic regarding its impacts; on the other hand, they were more cognizant of bureaucratic, economic and technical factors that could hinder its development.

Eleni K. Stigka

Papers

Social acceptance of renewable energy sources: A review of contingent valuation applications

Financial crisis and energy consumption: A household survey in Greece

Social acceptance of renewable energy projects: A contingent valuation investigation in Western Greece

An analysis of public attitudes towards renewable energy in Western Greece