Recognition of the problem of indoor air pollution (IAP) and its deleterious effects of health is growing worldwide as efforts increase to understand and articulate the complex health-air pollution linkages. Recent WHO estimates indicate that indoor smoke for solid fuels causes 1.6 million...

The term energy access has various connotations to energy development specialists. For this review, we define energy access as relating both to physical proximity to energy infrastructure and to the policies and frameworks supporting the transition to better, reliable, and more efficient use of...

Over the past 15 years, Ethiopia has focused on raising electrification rates, mainly by extending the national grid system to more villages and towns. The World Bank–funded Electricity Access Rural Expansion Project (Phase 2) was implemented since 2007 to assist the Government of Ethiopia...

This brief is designed to illustrate in summary how a variety of countries have addressed the problems inherent in having successful rural electrification. By providing a snapshot of various programs and the many different ways in which these programs provide electricity to their rural...

The main objective of this study was to determine the market potential for photo-voltaic systems in the remote areas of China, particularly in villages without access to grid electricity. A number of photo-voltaic systems have been sold in the remote provinces, but the size and nature of this...

Sub-Saharan Africa trails other regions in providing access to electricity for poor urban and rural residents. This poor performance can be linked to various factors, including political interference in utility policy, higher investment costs and lower profitability of extending service to rural...

For people in developed countries, burning fuel wood in an open hearth evokes nostalgia and romance. But in developing countries, the harsh reality is that several billion people, mainly women and children, face long hours collecting fuel wood, which is burned inefficiently in traditional...