Energy in developing countries

This session presents specific problems in developing countries, in economic terms and in terms of energy consumption, both commercial and non-commercial.

Course reference:

• Chapter 6

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Developing countries

• difficult to define
• countries that are not industrialized
• human development index HDI < 0.8
• group far from uniform

Energy consumption and income level

Three subsets

• least developed countries, or LDCs
• heavily dependent on official development assistance (ODA)
• newly industrialized countries, or NICs
• high GDP growth rates
• other DCs
• set of countries that remains quite heterogeneous but nevertheless share enough common features

High rate of population growth

• 2 % per year against 0.6 % in industrialized countries
• DCs: very diverse and evolving reality
• internal discrepancies that may be greater than those that distinguish them from industrialized countries

Dual societies

• modern sector
• quite similar to that of industrialized countries
• elites, big cities
• commercial energy sources, including oil
• traditional sector
• agricultural and pastoral economy
• disinherited masses, rural and city slums
• free and locally available energy (firewood, vegetable waste, wind, draft animals, etc.)

Non-commercial energy

• 67% in Africa
• 80% in sub-Saharan Africa
• 55% in Asia
• 32% in China
• 18% in Latin America

Oil-importing DCs

• more strongly affected than industrialized countries by the oil shocks
• lack of energy networks → inter-energy substitution limitations
• oil is the most appropriate energy source

Energy problems of the poorest

• residents of rural areas
• in 2011, 53.5% of the DCs’ population
• insufficient rural electrification programs
• cooking largely supported by firewood or charcoal
• poor sanitary conditions
• lighting provided by oil lamps, harmful to health

Energy problems of the poorest

• inhabitants of the cities, including slums
• rather low standard of living
• but access to commercial energy

Firewood crisis

• more than 2.7 billion people use firewood
• 1980: over 100 million people lived in areas with a shortage of firewood
• 5% of tropical forests are destroyed every ten years
• annual rate of deforestation: 13 million hectares
• in cities, charcoal preferentially to firewood
• higher heating value
• ease of transport over long distances and of storage

International programs

• increasing the productivity of existing resources
• creating new forests through reforestation programs
• organizing the distribution of firewood
• improving conversion techniques

Inconclusive results

• inadequate programs
• in 1980, the number of plantations in the Sahel were 32 times lower than necessary
• considerable socio-cultural difficulties
• disappointing improved stoves
• difficulties of disseminating technological change in traditional rural societies
• subsistence economy outside the monetized sphere

Substitution by LPG

Commercial energy needs

• transport
• urbanization
• industrialization
• electrification

Transport

• need for mobility
• significant decline of vehicle prices
• almost captive market for oil
• electric vehicles (including motorcycles)
• reduce fuel consumption
• reduce pollution in cities
• master new sectors of a promising technology

Urbanization

• large rural exodus
• since 2008, 50% of the world population lives in cities (more than 80% in 2030)
• substitution by commercial energy
• air conditioning

Industrialization

• relatively low energy efficiencies
• prerequisite on the path of development

Electrification

• growing much faster than GDP
• major social impact
• lighting
• television (provides a first access to information and culture)
• possibility of storing medical drugs
• small household appliances
• main obstacle: cost of electrification programs

Characteristics of DCs

• oil crisis
• crisis of traditional fuels
• strong rural component
• industry in building
• lack of infrastructure
• transport heavily dependent on oil

Energy in developing countries

This session provided a better understanding of energy issues in developing countries, all very heterogeneous, in which the poor only very rarely have access to commercial energy and where energy needs are considerable.