Abstract
The energy balances of most African countries suggest that biofuels (woodfuel, crop and wood residues, and dung) constitute the largest share of total energy consumption (up to 97% in some sub-Saharan Africa countries). There is, however, an increasing scarcity of woodfuel (fuelwood and charcoal), the major biofuel, and a feared increase in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions associated with biofuel combustion. The extent of GHG emissions is estimated from biofuel consumption levels that are in turn based on methodologies that might be inaccurate. A questionnaire, supplemented by informal interviews, are used to collect data, yielding information regarding end-uses, technologies used, scale of consumption, determinants of fuel consumption, and interfuel substitution (among other parameters). The survey revealed that cooking is the major end-use, with other common uses, such as space and water heating. Improved stoves that provide better combustion efficiency and, thus, reduce woodfuel consumption have not been widely disseminated and are associated with higher methane emissions than open fires. More than 90% of the households in Africa use open fires. Consumption is presented as per capita for households and as products and quantity of fuel in the small scale industries, commercial, and public sectors. Among the determinants for biofuel consumption are affordability, availability of the fuel, and interfuel substitutions. Flaws in estimating biofuel consumption yield large uncertainties in GHG emissions, with implications for the development of policies on energy planning and environmental protection. However, the application of scenarios can guide policy formulation.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Abel, N.O.J., et al.: 1988, Amelioration of the Soils by Trees: Guidelines for Training in Rapid Appraisal for Agroforestry Research and Extension, Harare Forestry Commission and London Commonwealth Science Council.
Agarwal, B.: 1986, The Woodfuel Crisis in the Third World, London: Zed Books, Ltd.
Ardayfio-Schandorf, E.: 1993, Fuelwood Energy Crisis in Sub-Saharan Africa, Conference on Sustainable Environmental and Resource Management Futures, Accra, Ghana.
Arntzen, J.W. and Kgathi, D.L.: 1984, Some of the determinants of the consumption of firewood energy in developing countries: the case of rural Botswana, Pula: Journal of African Studies, 4, no. 1, 24–34.
Barnard, G. W.: 1990, Use of agricultural residues as fuel, Bioenergy and the Environment, Pasztor, J. and Kristoferson (eds.), Oxford, U.K.: Westview Press.
Bhatia, R.K.: 1985, Traditional energy sources data, in Integrated Energy Planning: A Manual, Kuala Lumpur, Asian Development Centre.
Bird, N.M. and Shepperd, G.: 1984, Charcoal in Somalia: A Woodfuel Inventory in the Bay Region of Somalia, London, Overseas Development Assistance.
Brokensha, D. and Castro, A.P.: 1993, Methods of Fact Finding, in Woodfuel Surveys, Rome: Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).
Davidson, O.R.: 1985, Energy Use Patterns Sierra Leone, Ottawa: International Development Research Centre (IDRC), Ottawa, Canada.
Digernes, T.H.: 1977, Wood for Fuel: Energy Crisis Implying Desertification, the Case of Bara, the Sudan, Ph.D. Thesis, University of Bergen, Norway.
Earthscan: 1984, Fuelwood: Which Way Out, London: Earthscan.
Eberhard, A.A.: 1984, Energy Use, Problems, and Supply Strategies for Underdeveloped Areas in Southern Africa Energy for Underdeveloped Areas, Cape Town, Energy Research Institute.
Eberhard, A.: 1986, Energy Consumption Patterns in Underdeveloped Areas in South Africa, Cape Town: Energy Research Institute, University of Capetown.
ERL (Energy Resources Limited): 1985, A Study of Energy Utilization and Requirements in the Rural Sector of Botswana, London: Energy Resources Limited.
Energy Sector Management Assistance Program (ESMAP): 1991, Botswana Urban Household Energy Strategy, Washington D.C.: Industry and Energy Department, The World Bank.
FAO: 1983, Woodfuel Surveys, Rome: FAO.
Gay, J. and Zietlow, K.: 1985, Botswana Urban Domestic Energy Use and Attitude Survey, Ministry of Mineral Resources and Water Affairs, Gaborone.
Government of Zambia: 1992, Energy Statistics Bulletin, 1974–1990, Department of Energy, Ministry of Energy and Water Development, Lusaka.
Hall, D. and Rosillo-Calle, F.: 1991, Why Biomass Matters: Energy and the Environmental, Biomass Users Network, NetWork News 5, no.4.
Hall, D.O.: 1994, Introduction, summary, and conclusions, Biomass Energy and Coal in Africa, Hall, D.O., and Mao, Y.S., (eds.), London: Zed Books, Ltd.
Hosier, R.: 1985, Energy Use in Kenya: Household Demand and Rural Transformation, Stockholm: The Beijer Institute, Stockholm, Sweden.
Hosier, R. and Dowd, J.: 1988, Household energy use in Zimbabwe, in Energy for Rural Development, Hosier, R.H. (ed.), Beijer Institute, Stockholm, Sweden.
Kaale, B.K.: 1986, Biomass Research Assessment for Energy Production in Tanzania, in Assessing Biomass Energy Resources in Developing Countries. London: Commonwealth Science Council.
Kaale, B.K.: 1990, Traditional fuels, in Bioenergy and the Environmental, Pasztor, J. and Kristoferson, L.A. (eds.), Oxford, U.K.: Westview Press.
Kamara, J. N.: 1986, Firewood Energy in Sierra Leone—Production, Marketing and Household Pattern, Published Ph.D. Thesis, Goettingen University, Hamburg: Verlag Weltachiv GmbH.
Karenzi, P.C.: 1994, Biomass in Rwanda, in Biomass Energy and Coal in Africa, Hall, D.O. and Mao, Y.S. (eds.), London: Zed Books, Ltd.
Kgathi, D.L.: 1989, A Critical Review of Socio-Economic Surveys on Fuelwood in Botswana, a paper prepared for the Workshop on Energy Policy and Planning in Eastern and Southern Africa, March 11 to 17, 1989.
Kgathi, D.L.: 1990, A critical review of fuelwood surveys in Botswana in African Energy Issues in Planning and Practice African Energy Policy Research Network (AFREPREN), London: Zed Books, Ltd.
Kgathi, D.L.: 1992, Household Response to Fuelwood Scarcity: Implications for Energy Policy, Ph.D. Thesis, University of East Anglia.
Kgathi, D.L. and Mlotshwa, C.V.: 1994, Utilization of Fuelwood in Botswana: Implications for Energy Policy, Nairobi: AFREPREN.
Kgathi, D.L., Sekhwela, M.B.M., Tietema, T., and Mpotokwane, M.A.: 1994, Biomass in Botswana, in Biomass Energy and Coal In Africa, Hall, D.O. and Mao, Y.S. (eds.), London: Zed Books, Ltd.
Krugman, H.: 1987, Review of Issues and Research Relating to Improved Cookstoves, Ottawa: IDRC.
Leach G. and Mearns, R.: 1988, Beyond the Fuelwood Crisis, London: Earthscan Publications, Ltd.
Luhanga, M.L. and Bwakea, T.: 1994, Energy Consumption in the Urban Commercial Sector in Tanzania, Stockholm: Stockholm Environment Institute.
MnZava, E.M.: 1981, Wood energy, UNASYLA 33 131.
Mwandosya, M.J.: 1986, Bioenergy research assessment, in Assessing Biomass Energy Resources in Developing Countries, London: Commonwealth Science Council.
Oki, J.A.: 1985, Domestic Energy Use in Two Villages, Addendum to Botswana Village Energy Survey, Gaborone: Ministry of Mineral Resources and Water Affairs.
Tietema, T., Kgathi, D.L., and Merkesdal, E.: 1988, Wood Production and Consumption in Dukwe, a feasibility study for a woodland management and plantation scheme, Gaborone: National Institute of Development Research.
Tomkins, R.: 1986, A review of traditional fuel survey methods, in Assessing Biomass Energy Resources in Developing Countries, London: Commonwealth Science Council.
UNEP, OECD, IEA, IPCC (United Nations Environment Programme, Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, International Energy Agency, Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change): 1995, IPCC Guidelines for National Greenhouse Gas Inventories, IPCC, Bracknell, 3 Volumes.
Van Horen, C. and Eberhard, A.: 1995, Energy, Environment and the Rural Poor in South Africa, Energy for Development Research Centre. Rondebscoch, South Africa.
Zhou, P.: 1994, Domestic Energy Consumption and Its Impact on the Environment in Botswana, African Development Bank.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Kgathi, D.L., Zhou, P. Biofuel use assessments in Africa: Implications for greenhouse gas emissions and mitigation strategies. Environ Monit Assess 38, 253–269 (1995). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00546767
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00546767