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Biofuels offer new opportunities for African countries. They can contribute to economic growth, employment, and rural incomes. They can become an important export for some countries and provide low-cost fuel for others. There is also a potentially large demand for biofuels to meet the rapidly growing need for local fuel. Abundant natural resources and low-cost labor make producing biofuel feedstock's a viable alternative to traditional crops; and the preferential access available to most African countries to protected markets in industrial countries provides unique export opportunities. Biofuels also bring challenges and risks, including potential land-use conflicts, environmental risks, and heightened concerns about food security. This book examines the potential of African countries to produce biofuels for export or domestic consumption and looks at the policy framework needed. It is part of the effort by the World Bank's Africa region to examine critical issues that affect the region and to recommend policies that effectively address these issues while providing an enabling environment for the private sector. The book is intended to inform policy makers and the larger development community of the global and domestic market opportunities facing biofuel producers, as well as the challenges of producing biofuels, in the Africa region.

The per capita municipal solid waste (MSW) generation per day in Ghana is estimated to be 0.47 kg/person/day, which translates to over 14,000 tonnes of solid waste generation daily. The disposal and management of this amount of solid waste has been challenging worldwide, and in Ghana, this is evident with the creation of unsanitary dumping sites scattered across most communities in the country, especially urban communities. The indiscriminate disposal of solid waste in Ghana is known to cause flooding, the pollution of water bodies, and the spread of diseases. The purpose of this review is to highlight the prospects of waste incineration with energy recovery as a waste-to-energy (WtE) technology which has contributed immensely to the disposal and management of MSW in nations worldwide (especially developed ones). The review indicates that waste incineration with energy recovery is a matured waste-to-energy technology in developed nations, and there are currently about 492 waste incineration plants in operation in the EU, over 77 in operation in about 25 states in the USA, and about 1900 in operation in Japan. Waste incineration with energy recovery is also gradually gaining prominence in developing nations like China, Brazil, Bangladesh, Nigeria, Indonesia, and Pakistan. The adoption of waste incineration with energy technology can reduce Ghana’s overdependence on fossil fuels as primary sources of energy. It is, however, recommended that a techno-economic assessment of proposed waste incineration facilities is performed considering the MSW generated in Ghana. Additionally, it is also recommended that the possibility of incorporating the use of artificial intelligence technology into the management of MSW in Ghana be investigated.

The objectives of this power market structure study is to develop a taxonomy of the existing power market structures, as shown by the extent of vertical and horizontal unbundling found among restructured power systems across developing countries; to design an analytical framework for assessing the desirability of unbundling under the variety of economic conditions found among developing countries; and to propose insights for operational guidance on alternative market structures based on relevant criteria, in particular on the initial conditions of a country and its power sector. The study specifically examines whether power system size and coun¬try per capita income can be reliable indicators of initial conditions for guiding policy on power market structure. The results of the analysis carried out for this study confirm the following conclusions: (i) unbundling delivers results in terms of several performance indicators when used as an entry point to implement broader reforms, particularly introducing a sound regulatory framework, reducing the degree of concentration of the generation and distribution segments of the market by attracting additional public and private players and greater private sector participation; and (ii) there seems to be a credible empirical basis for selecting a threshold power system size and per capita income level below which unbundling of the power supply chain is not expected to be worthwhile.

This study is designed to analyze the energy efficiency policies in seven countries that were successful in achieving low energy intensities or in reducing their energy intensity considerably. The study analyzes the evolution of the energy intensity of these countries from 1990 to 2007, identifying points of inflection in the progress towards improvements. Changes to the policy agenda immediately upstream are explored in an effort to identify cause and affect relationships in energy efficiency improvements. Although direct relationships are difficult to isolate, cross country analyses that point to similar successes among a variety of countries give some confidence that these policies have contributed to reducing energy needs. The energy efficiency of new buildings is relatively easily and in expensively addressed by setting standards: making a new building energy efficient typically adds only 5 percent to the total cost. The purpose of this study is to determine what policy changes make a difference in countries' energy in tensity. The starting point for the analysis was the evolution of countries' energy intensity over time to identify inflection points when notable changes took place. Given that the inflection point could have been caused by external price shocks or structural changes, these causes were analyzed and removed from further consideration. Then changes to the policy agenda during identified periods were explored in an effort to identify cause and affect relationships in energy efficiency improvements.

Energy sources are of paramount significance in the contemporary landscape, categorically classified into two main types: (i) primary sources, encompassing a wide spectrum ranging from nuclear energy to fossil fuels like natural gas and oil; and (ii) renewable sources, including geothermal, hydropower, solar, and wind energies. Governments have taken proactive measures since 2010, culminating in the establishment of the Bureau of Energy Efficiency under the Energy Conservation Act, aimed at curtailing energy consumption across diverse economic sectors. The interconnectedness of energy consumption, environmental ramifications, and economic progress is undeniable. A noteworthy project originating in 2010 is rooted in the pioneering market-based mechanism known as the perform, achieve, and trade (PAT) framework, which predominantly targets industrial energy utilization. Given the substantial role of energy costs within the broader spectrum of total production expenses, it becomes imperative to gauge the profit margin intensity (PMI) within energy-intensive sectors and industries encompassed by the PAT initiative. This entails an exploration of the influence exerted by these sectors on PMI. Consequently, the identification of variables influencing industrial profitability with respect to energy employment becomes pivotal. This article introduces a methodology grounded in panel data analysis, applied to a specific case study involving Indian energy-intensive corporations. The investigation takes into account the impact of both the Energy Conservation Act (ECA) and PAT as dichotomous covariates. Notably, the ambit of PAT encompasses the eight most energy-intensive industries in India, spanning the years 2012 to 2015. India stands among the world’s foremost energy consumers, with its industrial sector notably emerging as the largest energy consumer in 2015. Evidently, energy serves as a driving force behind the country’s manufacturing costs. The findings of this study underscore a negative correlation between energy costs and profitability. While the overall impact of PAT on industry performance appears limited, the ECA emerges as a potent factor significantly affecting earnings. Moreover, a compelling indirect relationship between energy costs and profitability is discerned, wherein rising revenues correspondingly lead to amplified energy costs. Consequently, the implications drawn from our study are intricately linked to the efficacy of energy utilization regulations within energy-intensive industrial contexts. The statistical analyses integral to this study were diligently carried out using the R software.

A synthesis of an industrial utility system considering cogeneration options together with heat exchanger network synthesis has been developed. It consists of boilers at different temperature and pressure levels, steam turbines, condensers, cooling tower, deaerator and a heat exchanger network system, connecting the utility system with the process heat and electricity requirements. A mixed-integer nonlinear programming (MINLP) model was used for synthesis. A sensitivity analysis has been performed considering the price ratio of natural gas to electricity, while also estimating primary energy consumption and GHG emissions. The results indicate that the cogeneration is economically viable at different ratios of natural gas and electricity price. In addition, the sensitivity analysis shows the relationship between cogeneration and electricity purchase for obtaining the minimal primary energy consumption and consequently to reduce GHG emissions.

This work was developed to present a conceptual and preliminary analysis of the concepts and criteria for estimating the Energy Return on Investment (EROI). In this work, methods based on monetary studies, Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) were discussed and a dynamical systems modeling was proposed. In this respect, we made a mathematical development, defining the state and auxiliary variables and the adjustment parameters necessary to study the problem. Some criteria and influencing factors were defined, in the medium and long term, the sustainability of the energy system and seek to incorporate them into relevant areas of discussion and education, encouraging their dissemination and reviews. It is sought to discuss the issues and considerations for a standardized methodology that allows comparisons and decision-making, in order to minimize environmental impact.

Energy is an essential element for modern society for comfortable living in well‐lighted, heated, and air‐conditioned spaces equipped with modern appliances. The goal of an energy system is to transform primary sources into various forms of fuels and energy carriers to supply energy needs of the society. The chapter discusses the share of various sources supplied to consumers and the impacts of site energy consumption or production on natural resources and the environment. Primary sources are processed to produce fuels and energy carriers. Secondary energy sources are commodities obtained by converting primary sources into more convenient forms to supply consumers. Processed fuels, electricity, and hydrogen are the most common secondary energy sources. Energy sources are strategic commodities controlled by the essential rules of economics. Energy indicators must be interpreted carefully considering macroeconomic indicators and technical characteristics that affect the end use of energy.

This study aims to reexamine how energy consumption interacts with economic growth and emissions using a panel data of a global sample consisting of 102 countries, from 1996 to 2012. The effects of renewable energy and nonrenewable energy sources are separately examined. The consumption of both renewable and nonrenewable energy appears to have contributed significantly to the level of income across countries, implying that promoting renewable energy benefits economic development. The empirical evidence suggests that the use of non-renewable energy consumption significantly raised the level of emissions across different income groups of countries. On the other hand, our findings suggest that the use of renewable energy sources helped tackle emissions in developed countries but not in developing countries. The success of developed countries in controlling emissions through renewable energy has significant policy implications for developing countries.