Four broad types of studies on rural development and bioenergy technologies are identified. Within these four types, this discussion paper presents a number of existing studies which are most relevant in the context of developing a research focus on the role, feasibility and issues associated...

Southern African countries' interest in biofuel is due of its rural development potential. Finding models to optimize this benefit is therefore paramount. High-energy-density crops with low perishability allow farmers to grow small quantities on existing lands. Highly perishable, low-density...

Recent years have witnessed rapid development in renewable energy technologies. Several renewable energy technologies have found wide acceptance and deployment in the developed as well as the developing nations. Apart from solar PV, biomass based energy systems have gained much popularity,...

It is surprising that energy access was not one of the original Millennium Development Goals and the UN has been slow in waking up to the centrality of energy in the poverty reduction agenda. There is a huge current and growing demand to find alternative clean energy sources that meet new...