Browsing by Subject "Biomass energy"

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    Biofuel policies in South Africa: a critical analysis
    (Springer, 2012) Letete, Thapelo; von Blottnitz, Harro
    In 2007 the South African government released the country’s National Biofuels Industrial Strategy targeting a biofuels market penetration of 2% of liquid road transport fuels by 2013. Contrary to the international situation, the main driver for the development of a biofuels industry in South Africa is neither the economic threat of increasing oil prices nor mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions, but the need to create a link between the country’s first and second economies. Specifically, the government hopes to stimulate economic development and to alleviate poverty through the promotion of farming in areas previously neglected by the apartheid system. Before the release of this strategy, commercial sugar producers and maize farmers represented the majority of the parties looking to drive the South African biofuels industry. But, two years after its release none of the ventures by these stakeholders have been able to take off, mainly due to the Strategy’s restrictions on the type and source of feedstock as well as on the type of farmers whose participation in the industry would be subsidised. This chapter presents a critical scientific-­based analysis of the implications and results of South Africa’s National Biofuels Industrial Strategy. Firstly an update is presented on the state of the biofuels industry in the country, highlighting the current production statistics and the major investment activities, and how these were affected by the release of the Strategy. Then the ambiguities in the Strategy are outlined and critically analysed with reference to the current state of the biofuels industry in the country. The chapter then concludes with the lessons to be learnt from the South African experience by those African countries which are yet to develop their respective biofuel policies.
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    Policies and approaches towards afforestation and the provision of fuelwood in developing countries: lessons for South Africa. Biomass Initiative - Appendix 1
    Fenn, Tim
    Fuelwood provision has often been ignored in developing countries and no more so than in South Africa. Fuel wood, in comparison with other forms of energy, plays a minor economic development role in a country like South Africa which produces 60% of Africa's electricity. National issues such as oil and electricity have great economic implications particularly towards industrialisation, and as a result, policies for these have been formulated. In spite of this high level of development, many people, notably the poor, use wood as their main source of fuel. Many organisations have recognised the need to address this problem but no general policy has been formulated. The problem has been compounded by the differing viewpoints of the large number of government bodies within the homeland system; this is itself inhibits any collective effort.
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    Rural Energy and Development: improving energy supplies for 2 billion people: a World Bank best practice paper (Draft)
    (1996) World Bank
    This paper envisages a renewed commitment by the World Bank to support its member countries' efforts to extend modem energy supplies to populations still without them and to promote the sustainable supply and use of biofuels for as long as they remain important sources of energy. Modem energy is defined to include new forms of renewable energy. The purposes of the paper are threefold. First, it argues why meeting the energy needs of rural-and also unserved urban- populations is a priority for sustainable economic development. Second, it reviews twenty-five years of experience with rural energy programs in developing countries; it finds that notwithstanding some mistakes, in any approaches are working well and provide an excellent basis for a substantial expansion of effort to address rural energy problems. Third, it seeks to disseminate and share these lessons of experience with others on whom much responsibility will fall for the implementation of policies; indeed, the preparation of the paper itself entailed extensive sharing of experiences between representatives of the Bank, industry, and numerous governmental and nongovernmental organizations.