Environment and Energy

Energy and Women: Generating Opportunities for Development: National Consultation Report for Malawi (1999)

Report analyzing the particular energy and development situation of women in Malawi to identify constrains and opportunities in the capacity building of women, such as involving them in energy systems and entrepreneurship.

Energy and Women: National Consultation for Swaziland (1999)
Author:  Mduduzi M. Mathunjwa

Report focuses on the linkage between woman and energy as a means to promote sustainable development. It outlines projects in the energy sector that can be beneficial to women and income generation.

Gender and Sustainable Development: Namibia's Background Paper (1999)

Draft background paper promoting an understanding of the relationship between energy services and poverty alleviation, improvement of status of women, job creation and environmental protection and regeneration

Reducing Rural Poverty through Increased Access to Energy Services: A Review of the Multifunctional Platform Project in Mali (2004)
Authors: Abeeku Brew-Hammond and Anna Crole-Rees

This report reviews experiences of the multifunctional platform project in Mali and documents how modern energy services affect people’s lives in terms of income, education, and rural women’s status and health.
Also available In French

Affecting Electricity Policy through a Community Micro Hydro Project, Kenya (2003)

Summary of lessons learned from a community project in Kenya. This project sought to remove the policy, technical and institutional barriers that limited the development and use of renewable energy sources to meet the energy needs of the poor, off-grid communities.

Biogas in Peri-Urban Areas, Mali (2003)

This project brief describes lessons learned form a project in Mali. The pilot project installed domestic biogas units in peri-urban zones of the city of Bamako. Wider use of biogas units would help reduce the demand for firewood in peri-urban areas and would supply higher-quality fertilizer for local farms.

Assessing the Spread of Improved Charcoal Stoves in Urban Areas, Tanzania (2003)

Summary of lessons learned from a study conducted to determine why the production of charcoal stoves had not expanded to meet existing demand. Given the benefits of the stoves, including cleaner technology and reduced costs, the study also looked into why demand was not greater for the stoves.

Biogas Technology in Agricultural Regions, Tanzania (2003)

Summary of lessons learned from a project in Tanzania. This project sought to address technical, financial and informational barriers to the implementation of biogas technology in order to increase incomes, improve home air quality, and reduce carbon dioxide emissions.

Demonstrating Wind and Solar Energy on Lake Victoria, Uganda (2003)

Summary of lessons learned from a project in Uganda where a community group formed a committee to manage the local wind/solar hybrid power station. The station is mainly used to charge batteries in order to meet household energy needs and to aid nighttime fisherman.

Energy Efficiency Improvements in Small, Medium-Sized and Informal Enterprises, Zimbabwe (2003)

Summary of lessons learned from a project in Zimbabwe. The project examined possibilities and benefits of improving energy efficiency in small and medium sized or informal enterprises. Twelve such enterprises were selected.

Energy Efficiency in Lighting, Egypt (2003)

Lessons learned from an energy efficiency project in Egypt. This project promotes the use of efficient lighting equipment by training young people to maintain and install the equipment, demonstrating the benefits of efficient lighting in public areas and lowering financial barriers to domestic use through a revolving loan fund.

Small-Scale Wind Turbines for Water Pumping and Electricity Generation, Egypt (2003)

This brief case study describes a project implemented by the Egyptian Solar Energy Society. The project involved the use of wind energy to meet water access and electricity needs. The goal was to build several turbines for small-scale use to demonstrate and refine the technology, and eventually to lower the cost of technology for larger-scale use.

Solar Energy for Heating Water in Urban/Peri-Urban Areas, Egypt (2003)

This brief case study describes a project in Egypt where solar water heaters were installed in poor neighborhoods. Also provided were training and education programs for community members.

Building Capacity for Energy Micro-Enterprises and NGOs, Morocco (2003)

Summary of lessons learned from a project building the capacity of entrepreneurs to run rural energy micro-enterprises. This project particularly helps build an understanding of a variety of renewable energy sources and how these relate to various sectors, including agriculture, water, and food preparation.

Hybrid Wind-Solar Power Lighting System for Village Lighting, Occupied Palestinian Territories (2003)

A summary of lessons learned; this project assisted a community in building and operating a solar-wind hybrid power system to meet most of the village's energy needs. Currently, 80% of the community's energy needs are met by the hybrid system, which has resulted in numerous social benefits.

Community-based Rural Micro Hydro Project, India (2003)

This case summary describes lessons learned from a community project in India which used a learning-by-doing approach to building and operating a micro hydro plant. The community now runs and maintains its own power system and has been stimulated to preserve the local forest.

Connecting Micro-hydro Power to the National Grid, Indonesia (2003)

Highlights of lessons learned from an Indonesian community project. This project upgraded the electricity supply for the Seloliman area to meet domestic, public and commercial needs.

A New Micro-Credit System for Solar Panels in Remote Villages, Nepal (2003)

This case study describes a community project in Nepal. The project sought to address the financial barriers to renewable energy using flexible credit scheme to enables the poorest members of Nepalese village to obtain solar PV panels.

Improving Energy Efficiency through Building Materials, Pakistan (2003)

Lessons learned from a project in Pakistan. By installing demonstration models and training local entrepreneurs to produce these products, the project seeks to initiate wide replication of these products in a self-sustaining manner.

Micro Hydro Power and Watershed Protection, The Philippines (2003)

Highlights of a project to reduce technical, institutional, and information barriers to the implementation of community-managed micro hydro schemes.

Household-size Wind Turbines, Sri Lanka (2003)

Lessons from a project in Sri Lanka which demonstrated the potential for small wind systems to provide battery-charging services to rural areas, thereby improving local livelihoods.

Building a Market for Efficient Cookstoves, Thailand (2003)

Project case study highlighting lessons learned; the project sought to reduce impacts on the forest and provide local livelihood benefits, especially for women, by improving cooking and charcoal production processes.

Water Power for Rice Milling, Thailand (2003)

Highlights of a project in Thailand that helped a remote, minority community to install a water-powered rice mill. The community-established milling services provide financial returns to members of the cooperative and supports revolving funds for indigent community members.

Micro Hydro Power for Agro-Processing in Rural Areas, Bolivia (2003)

This project built a micro hydro power plant in the village of Camata. The system provides electricity for domestic and public needs, and boosts the local economy by powering an agro-processing unit that enables people in the community to process their own agricultural products and sell them directly to the market.

Scaling up Modern Energy Services in East Africa (2005)

Report outlining strategies for increasing access to energy services in order to meet the Millennium Development Goals in East Africa.  It offers suggestions for energy interventions, their costs and impacts.

Stuck in the Past: Energy, Environment and Poverty in Serbia and Montenegro (2004)

This study describes energy consumption in Serbia and Montenegro as unsustainable and a barrier to development. Report offers energy policy recommendations to reduce poverty and improve living standards.

World Energy Assessment - Overview: 2004 Update (2004)
Editors: Thomas B. Johansson and José Goldemberg

A collaborative effort between UNDP, UNDESA and the World Energy Council, this book examines the linkages between energy and the MDGs and outlines the latest energy trends and information, new energy related technologies, and energy policy options.

Community Action to Address Climate Change (2003)
Author: Esther Ibrahimian. Project Supervisor: Stephen Gitonga

Case studies linking sustainable energy use with improved livelihoods. Provides valuable information on community-led projects that address climate change while improving energy access and livelihoods.

Clean Energy for Development and Economic Growth: Biomass and other renewable energy options to meet energy and development needs in poor nations (2002)
Authors: Daniel M. Kammen, Robert Bailis and Antonia V. Herzog

This draft paper presented at the Conference of the Parties meetings on climate change in 2001 in Morocco explores the linkages between renewable energy, poverty alleviation, sustainable development, and climate change in developing countries.

Sustainable Energy, Development & the Environment: UNDP's Climate Change Initiatives (2001)

This 8-page brochure outlines UNDP's initiatives supporting developing countries in responding to climate change concerns as part of their overall sustainable development efforts, with a focus on improving the lives of those living in extreme poverty.

World Energy Assessment: Energy and the Challenge of Sustainability (2000)
Editor: José Goldemberg

Describes the relationship between energy and sustainable human development and shows how different approaches to energy can relate to other issues in the world, such as economic growth, poverty alleviation, gender issues, security and environment.

Energy as an instrument for Socio-Economic Development (1995)
Editor: José Goldemberg and Thomas B. Johansson

Earlier work on the linkages between energy and development.