Energy and Commodities

Abstract

Providing access to electricity in rural areas of the world is a major challenge. The fuel is generally of poor quality, and energy is used inefficiently; the power supply is unreliable and access to it limited, with about a billion people in rural areas still unable to benefit from modern energy services. This not only has an adverse effect on economic productivity; more importantly, it also affects people’s quality of life and is having a strong impact on the environment. Locally based measures that use renewable energies to secure the rural power supply could open up new opportunities for economic productivity while also reducing greenhouse gas emissions and local pollutants resulting from the extensive usage of fossil fuels.