In Bangladesh, as elsewhere in the world, energy both commercial and noncommercial, serves as a major vehicle for development. In the last three decades, lopsided development efforts, without proper concern for the environment and productivity level of natural resources have created significant problems for development sustainability in Bangladesh. The energy sector faces deep crisis in meeting increasing energy demands for development of agriculture, industry, transportation and other sectors of economy. The country is heavily dependent on import of commercial fossil fuel energy, petroleum, petroleum products and coal. Such dependency makes Bangladesh economy more vulnerable to external price shocks in the international energy market. Non-commercial energy plays a dominant role in overall energy consumption in Bangladesh. Use of non commercial energy constitutes about two-thirds of the country’s total energy balance and is almost entirely supplied from the already overstressed biomass resources of the country. The population size and the vast majority living in rural areas have created immense pressure on the country’s biomass resources resulting in massive deforestation, decline of soil fertility and reduced productivity of agriculture. Desperate access to resources, particularly in rural areas is also causing uneven development of the rural population in Bangladesh. The development of the energy sector is a time bound issue and demands proper and timely attention. For Bangladesh, substitution of current biomass energy use with iv sustainable energy sources and their effective management is therefore critically important to sustain its overall development. There is ample scope for introducing energy efficient technologies and energy conservation measures in commercial and non-commercial energy use in Bangladesh. Effective and realistic energy planning and policy formulation is therefore crucially important for sustainable development in Bangladesh. The thesis explores the possibility of introducing an alternate approach to rural energy development through a series of case studies on selected technologies viz. biogas and improved efficiency cook stoves technology projects in the public sector and Grameen Shakti’s renewable energy programme in the private sector. Application of village energy supply system based on renewable energy technologies utilising abundantly available renewable resources of the country and already well in place technologies such as solar PV, bio digesters and energy storage batteries will be trailed within a framework that works with the participation of the (rural/village) community in running and managing energy supply in the villages. Introduction of a community based energy supply system Rural Energy Cooperative (REC) has been examined as a model for rural energy development, targeting economic, environmental and community development at the same time, which forms together the necessary foundation for sustainable development in (rural) Bangladesh, as well as in other parts of the developing world.

Energy intervention programs have gained prominence in governmental policies and development agendas as a prevailing practice of improving rural livelihoods and protecting local environment and resources in developing rural areas since early 1970s. In spite of the increasing evidences of small-scale renewable energy systems being advantageous over traditional ones towards rural sustainability, the introduction and diffusion of the new energy systems in many developing rural areas has suffered program ineffectiveness in terms of slow construction, limited utilization, and high risks of being idled or abandoned by the adopters. While there are substantial studies documenting the challenges of rural energy planning, few scholars have devoted to the processes and efficacy of the planning practice. Literature has obvious gaps between planning theory and rural energy planning practice as no prior academic efforts were uncovered to use planning theory to examine the rural energy planning practice and to provide directions to future practice. Meanwhile, literature suggests that the integration of efficacy-oriented and context-dependent principles of planning theory into the energy planning processes can contribute to the effectiveness of rural energy intervention programs. Vital to the integration is the conduct of a study that critically assesses the rural energy planning processes against the insights drawn from planning theory and then provides policy implications for bridging the gaps between theory and practice. A review of literature on energy, planning, and community development in relation to sustainability led to an evaluative framework containing 24 criteria which were aggregated into six groups of principles, i.e., equity, flexibility, efficiency, participation, continuity and reflectivity. The principles were coupled respectively focusing on the operationalization, implementation, and monitoring processes of rural energy planning. Employing a primary case study design, the researcher conducted the field study in southern China’s Hainan province to examine whether the aggregated criteria were upheld and performed in local practices. In the field research, the author collected relative information and data through interviews, surveys, secondary sources, and direct observation. The data were analyzed in a mix of inter-related qualitative and quantitative methods. Where possible, the author used triangulation to limit individual and methodological biases. Hainan’s rural energy intervention programs of introducing and diffusion renewable energy systems such as anaerobic digesters and solar heaters in developing rural areas were significant contents of the provincial eco-village program and eco-province strategy. Although the energy programs had satisfactory effectiveness sporadically in a few villages, the majority of the programs suffered from problems like slow construction, limited utilization, and high risks of being idled or abandoned by the adopters. A number of challenges were recognized and mentioned by the administrative interviewees, including financial, technical, social, cultural, institutional and other constraints that support and conform to the discussions in literature. The study advances the understandings by identifying the gaps between planning theory and local rural energy planning practice in Hainan. Specifically, the equity principle was recognized but not totally fulfilled; the flexibility principle remained contentious and singularly executed; the efficiency principle was accepted but performed without enough scrutiny; the participation principle was emphasized but challenging; the continuity principle was aware of but not compulsorily executed; and the reflectivity principle was vague and overlooked. The author further analyzes that there will be barriers at the micro, meso, and macro levels to impede the integration of planning theory into rural energy planning practice. Extending the findings to a broader discussion on planning for development projects in developing rural areas, the author highlights a number of external and internal problems that harm the program effectiveness and calls for immediate and meaningful attention to ensuring program effectiveness. Several suggestions are provided for policy reconsideration and reorientation.

Energy intervention programs have gained prominence in governmental policies and development agendas as a prevailing practice of improving rural livelihoods and protecting local environment and resources in developing rural areas since early 1970s. In spite of the increasing evidences of small-scale renewable energy systems being advantageous over traditional ones towards rural sustainability, the introduction and diffusion of the new energy systems in many developing rural areas has suffered program ineffectiveness in terms of slow construction, limited utilization, and high risks of being idled or abandoned by the adopters. While there are substantial studies documenting the challenges of rural energy planning, few scholars have devoted to the processes and efficacy of the planning practice. Literature has obvious gaps between planning theory and rural energy planning practice as no prior academic efforts were uncovered to use planning theory to examine the rural energy planning practice and to provide directions to future practice. Meanwhile, literature suggests that the integration of efficacy-oriented and context-dependent principles of planning theory into the energy planning processes can contribute to the effectiveness of rural energy intervention programs. Vital to the integration is the conduct of a study that critically assesses the rural energy planning processes against the insights drawn from planning theory and then provides policy implications for bridging the gaps between theory and practice. A review of literature on energy, planning, and community development in relation to sustainability led to an evaluative framework containing 24 criteria which were aggregated into six groups of principles, i.e., equity, flexibility, efficiency, participation, continuity and reflectivity. The principles were coupled respectively focusing on the operationalization, implementation, and monitoring processes of rural energy planning. Employing a primary case study design, the researcher conducted the field study in southern China’s Hainan province to examine whether the aggregated criteria were upheld and performed in local practices. In the field research, the author collected relative information and data through interviews, surveys, secondary sources, and direct observation. The data were analyzed in a mix of inter-related qualitative and quantitative methods. Where possible, the author used triangulation to limit individual and methodological biases. Hainan’s rural energy intervention programs of introducing and diffusion renewable energy systems such as anaerobic digesters and solar heaters in developing rural areas were significant contents of the provincial eco-village program and eco-province strategy. Although the energy programs had satisfactory effectiveness sporadically in a few villages, the majority of the programs suffered from problems like slow construction, limited utilization, and high risks of being idled or abandoned by the adopters. A number of challenges were recognized and mentioned by the administrative interviewees, including financial, technical, social, cultural, institutional and other constraints that support and conform to the discussions in literature. The study advances the understandings by identifying the gaps between planning theory and local rural energy planning practice in Hainan. Specifically, the equity principle was recognized but not totally fulfilled; the flexibility principle remained contentious and singularly executed; the efficiency principle was accepted but performed without enough scrutiny; the participation principle was emphasized but challenging; the continuity principle was aware of but not compulsorily executed; and the reflectivity principle was vague and overlooked. The author further analyzes that there will be barriers at the micro, meso, and macro levels to impede the integration of planning theory into rural energy planning practice. Extending the findings to a broader discussion on planning for development projects in developing rural areas, the author highlights a number of external and internal problems that harm the program effectiveness and calls for immediate and meaningful attention to ensuring program effectiveness. Several suggestions are provided for policy reconsideration and reorientation.

Climate change and renewable energy technologies are internationally discussed topics. Recently the subject was discussed during the Paris climate conference, COP21. Which lead to the establishing of the first ever universal agreement, legally binding climate deal, which include 195 countries around the world. With the goal to decrease global warming by 1.5 degrees Celsius the need of new innovative technologies are increasing dramatically.   This thesis will examine the characteristics of renewable energy technology investment behavior by identifying drivers and forces for companies to invest in relatively new and less mature technologies, which are usually associated with high investment costs. Is it possible to financially justify investments in renewable energy technologies during the current market situation with historically low energy prices and with a production surplus? By examining the market and investments the aim is to identify and understand what drives companies to invest in renewable energy technologies and if it is profitable from a financial sustainable perspective.   The main results and derived conclusions are that RET investments behavior are influenced by several forces and drivers. The findings indicate that investments in RETs aren’t necessarily economical sustainable but rather that other objectives are of more importance than profitability in the short term.

Energy is essential for economic development in Africa. The current electrification figures show that countries in sub-Saharan Africa are facing major challenges in reaching positive economic growth and supplying basic energy services to rural communities. Sustainable energy technologies are available and can be used to great effect in Africa to alleviate this problem. Sustainable energy technologies can contribute to job creation and economic development. The implementation of renewable energy technologies in sub-Saharan Africa to date however has not always been successful due to both technical and non-technical factors. Prior to this study a comprehensive framework of factors to select renewable energy technologies did not exist. The purpose of this research was to develop such a framework and to validate it by means of empirical research. Triangulation of methodologies was used to determine the framework of factors. The analysis of the literature investigated renewable energy technologies and their application, the challenges in renewable energy technologies for implementation in Africa and the selection methods in the fields of project, portfolio, programme and technology management. This was followed by a focus group with three experts in which thirty eight factors that need to be taken into account during the selection of renewable energy technologies in Africa were identified. The factors identified by the focus group were confirmed and the eleven most applicable factors were selected during a two-round Delphi study. Finally case studies on the implementation of renewable energy technologies were undertaken in three countries. These case studies confirmed the eleven factors identified during the Delphi study and identified a further two factors which needed to be added to the framework. The final framework proposed in this study consists of thirteen factors that need to be considered before deciding on the technology appropriate for a specific implementation. For the implementation of the technology to succeed, it must be ensured that the technology can be maintained and supported on site over the life cycle of the technology, and that sufficient skills and resources exist to implement and maintain the technology. Sites for implementation of the technology must be selected in places where local champions exist to continue supporting the technology after the implementing agency has left, the community has the will to adopt the technology in the long term, sites are available for implementing pilot sites and sufficient sites with the correct characteristics are available for long term implementation. The technology must also contribute to economic development by creating jobs or improving the economic situation of households, and financing must be made available to ensure large scale adoption. Local businesses which aid with implementation need to have business management and technical skills as well as the financial capacity to implement the technology. Government support of the implementation of the technology is essential and the environmental benefits of the technology must be clear from the outset. This report presents a framework that includes both the criteria and measures to be used for the selection of renewable energy technologies in Africa. Further work is required to implement these criteria and measures in a selection methodology. / Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2011. / Graduate School of Technology Management (GSTM) / unrestricted

The research work that underpins this thesis aims to investigate the viability of renewable energy technologies (RETs) and to develop a RETs implementation framework for providing sustainable electricity to Nigeria’s rural areas. As a result of electricity supply deficiency in Nigeria, rural communities have been negatively affected in their socio-economic activities. A strength, weakness, opportunity and threat (SWOT) analysis in combination with an assessment of sustainability indicators of RETs, identified the most appropriate technology for providing sustainable electricity in Nigeria's rural areas. Biomass energy technologies (BETs) are the most appropriate RET given significant resource availability. However, cost has been identified as the major barrier in adopting BETs. Both BETs and grid extension (GE) systems have been assessed. Whole Life Costing (WLC) and interview methods have been used to evaluate the economics of various capacities of BETs and GE systems, and assessed suitability of BETs respectively. Typical findings revealed that all the BETs capacities evaluated other than a 50kW direct combustion system are currently cost-competitive with existing fossil fuel (FF) sources used in generating electricity in Nigeria (US$0.13/kWh without incentives). BETs are identified as the preferable option than GE system for electricity provision to communities of demand capacity less than 50kW and distance less than five kilometre from load centres. Similarly, the interview method confirmed that BETs utilisation in the country’s rural areas are suitable and desirable. For implementation, all the identified drivers and enablers of BETs should be considered, along with the identified constraints to the adoption and development of BETs, some of which should be addressed before implementation. Further, a BETs implementation framework for sustainable electricity provision in rural areas has been developed through the selection of appropriate biomass feedstock and conversion technologies, and support through suitable incentive strategies. The framework was then evaluated and validated using six villages as case study. The benefit of the framework is ensuring successful electricity provision in rural areas. Thus, this study recommends that the existing rural areas energy policies be reviewed to include incentive strategies like economic subsidies in order to encourage investors’ participation given lack of energy infrastructures in rural areas.

No description available.