Sustainable Energy Technologies for Poverty Alleviation and Environmental Protection

Abstract

This paper examines the importance of sustainable energy technologies in addressing poverty eradication and environmental protection. The paper reveals the failure of conventional energy strategies in meeting the basic human needs of the poor majority. People living in poverty have benefited very little from conventional energy policies and their implementation. The lack of available energy services correlate closely with many poverty indicators. The use of unsustainable energy technologies has negative environmental effects and the people with low income are the most vulnerable. Limited income forced households to use traditional fuels and inefficient technologies. Various policies and measures that can improve the level of energy services for people living in poverty are discussed. Providing energy services to rural areas offers considerable opportunity for improving the lives of billions of people within a relatively short period. Promising approaches include decentralized rural electrification, appropriate technologies, modernized biomass and improved cookstove designs.