Rural electrification

About: Rural electrification is a research topic. Over the lifetime, 2840 publications have been published within this topic receiving 50142 citations.

Renewable Energy Policies and Barriers

Abstract: The 1990s saw an explosion of energy policy changes around the globe Driven by economic, environmental, security, and social concerns, energy regulation has been in great flux Many of the changes are having a profound influence on renewable energy, both from policies explicitly designed to promote renewable energy and from other policies that indirectly influence incentives and barriers for renewable energy This article considers six different types of policies that affect renewable energy development, both directly or indirectly: renewable energy promotion policies, transport biofuels policies, emissions reduction policies, electric power restructuring policies, distributed generation policies, and rural electrification policies Each policy reduces one or more key barriers that impede development of renewable energy These barriers are discussed first In general, most renewable energy policies address cost-related barriers in some manner Many policies address the requirements for utilities to purchase renewable energy from power producers Most policies also address the perceived risks of renewable energy in one form or another (ie, technical, financial, legal) Still others primarily address regulatory and institutional barriers Some related policies may heighten barriers to renewable energy rather than reduce them Table 1 summarizes the key renewable energy policies and barriers presented

Rural Energy in Developing Countries: A Challenge for Economic Development

Abstract: ▪ Abstract The energy problems of the developing world are both serious and widespread. Lack of access to sufficient and sustainable supplies of energy affects as much as 90% of the population of many developing countries. Some 2 billion people are without electricity; a similar number remain dependent on fuels such as animal dung, crop residues, wood, and charcoal to cook their daily meals. Without efficient, clean energy, people are undermined in their efforts to engage effectively in productive activities or to improve their quality of life. Developing countries are facing two crucial—and related—problems in the energy sector. The first is the widespread inefficient production and use of traditional energy sources, such as fuelwood and agricultural residues, which pose economic, environmental, and health threats. The second is the highly uneven distribution and use of modern energy sources, such as electricity, petroleum products, and liquefied or compressed natural gas, which pose important issues of ...