ABSTRACT
In making decisions about energy supplies and sources, many resource managers lack the means to make environmentally sustainable choices that provide for their energy needs, while simultaneously protecting public health and the environment. For example, in 2012 approximately 1.4 billion people (about 17% of the world’s population) lived without access to electricity (GEA, 2012; IEA, 2016), and 2.8 billion people relied on traditional fuels such as wood, charcoal, and animal and crop waste to cook and heat their homes (The Economist, 2013). This reliance on traditional forms of energy limits social and economic development, slows down poverty elimination, affects human health, and aggravates global deforestation. In many instances, locally available renewable energy is a viable alternative for traditional fuels and rural electrification and helps the poor to meet their needs for important domestic energy services such as heat, light, and refrigeration.
