Abstract
Traditional biomass energy systems are widely used in Africa, mainly because of the low cost and lack of available alternatives in rural areas. Projections indicate that the (relative) contribution of traditional bioenergy will decrease, but that the total use of traditional biomass energy systems will increase during the coming decades. The efficiencies of wood-fuel (firewood and charcoal) energy systems are usually low and the use of these systems has serious negative consequences, such as indoor air pollution and related health effects, deforestation and the labour intensive and sometimes dangerous process of firewood collection. Improvements in stoves, charcoal production efficiency and switching fuels can increase the efficiency by several tens of percent points and thereby reduce the demand for labour for the collection of firewood and the costs. Other advantages of improved traditional bioenergy systems are reduced greenhouse gas emissions, reduced indoor air pollution and reduced deforestation. Various initiatives have been successful in implementing the use of improved household stoves, although the results suggest that the success of improved traditional biomass systems depends on the local conditions and socio-economic impacts of these systems.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
Bailis R, Ezzati M, Kammen D (2005) Mortality and greenhouse gas impacts of biomass and petroleum energy futures in Africa. Science 308:98–103
Ballard-Tremeer G, Jawurek HH (1996) Comparison of five rural, wood-burning cooking devices: efficiencies and emissions. Biomass Bioenerg 11(5):419–430
Biran A, Abbot J, Mace R (2004) Families and firewood: a comparative analysis of the costs and benefits of children in firewood collection and use in two rural communities in Sub-Saharan Africa. Hum Ecol 32:1–25
Bond T, Venkataraman C, Masera O (2004) Global atmospheric impacts of residential fuels. Energ Sust Dev 8(3):20–32
Fernandes SD, Trautman NM, Streets DG, Roden GA, Bond TC (2007) Global biofuel use, 1850–2000. Global Biochem Cycles 21:2019
Gustafsson Ö, Kruså M, Zencak Z, Sheesley RJ, Granat L, Engström E, Praveen PS, Rao PSP, Leck C, Rodhe H (2009) Brown clouds over South Asia: biomass or fossil fuel combustion? Science 323:495–498
IEA (2002) World energy outlook 2002. International Energy Agency, Paris
IEA (2006) World energy outlook 2006. Energy for cooking in developing countries. International Energy Agency, Paris, p 488
IEA (2008) World energy outlook 2008. International Energy Agency (IEA), Paris, p 578
IEA (2009) Key world energy statistics 2009. International Energy Agency, Energy Statistics Division, Paris, p 82
IPCC (2007) Climate change 2007: mitigation. Contribution of working group III to the fourth assessment report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge
Kammen D (2006) Bioenergy in developing countries: experiences and prospects. Focus Brief 10. IFPRI, Washington DC, p 2
Leach G, Mearns R (1988) Beyond the wood-fuel crisis: people, land, and trees in Africa. Earthscan, London, p 309
Malimbwi RE, Zahabu E (2007) Situation analysis of charcoal sector in Dar es Salaam; charcoal supply and consumption. Department of Forest Mensuration and Management, Faculty of Forestry and Nature Conservation, Sokoine University of Agriculture, Morogoro, Tanzania
Masera OR, Saatkamp BD, Kammen DM (2000) From linear fuel switching to multiple cooking strategies: a critique and alternative to the energy ladder model. World Dev 28(12):2083–2103. doi:10.1016/S0305-750X(00)00076-0
Pachauri S, Spreng D (2003) Energy use and energy access in relation to poverty. Economics Working Paper 25. Center for Energy Policy and Zurich, Switzerland, p 20
Ramanathan V, Carmichael G (2008) Global and regional climate changes due to black carbon. Nat Geosci 1:221–227
RWEDP (1997) Regional study on wood energy today and tomorrow in Asia. FAO Regional Wood Energy Development Programme, Bangkok, p 179
Smith KR, Uma R, Kishore VVN, Zhang J, Joshi V, Khalil MAK (2000) Greenhouse implications of household stoves: an analysis for India. Annu Rev Energ Environ 25:741–763
UNDP (2009) The energy access situation in developing countries. A review focusing on the least developed countries and Sub-Saharan Africa. United Nations Development Programme, New York, USA, 142 p
Wiskerke W, Dornburg V, Faaij APC, Malimbwi RE, Rubanza CDA (2008) Towards a sustainable biomass energy supply for rural households in semi-arid Shinyanga, Tanzania. Department of Science, Technology and Society, Copernicus Institute, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands, 110 p
Wiskerke WT, Dornburg V, Rubanza CDK, Malimbwi RE, Faaij APC (2010) Cost/benefit analysis of biomass energy supply options for rural smallholders in the semi-arid eastern part of Shinyanga Region in Tanzania. Renew Sust Energ Rev 14(1):148–165
World Bank (2008) The welfare impact of rural electrification: a reassessment of the costs and benefits. World Bank Interdependant Evaluation Group, Washington DC, p 178
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2012 Springer Science+Business Media B.V.
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Smeets, E., Johnson, F.X., Ballard-Tremeer, G. (2012). Keynote Introduction: Traditional and Improved Use of Biomass for Energy in Africa. In: Janssen, R., Rutz, D. (eds) Bioenergy for Sustainable Development in Africa. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-2181-4_1
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-2181-4_1
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht
Print ISBN: 978-94-007-2180-7
Online ISBN: 978-94-007-2181-4
eBook Packages: Earth and Environmental ScienceEarth and Environmental Science (R0)