Household energy

Around 2.4 billion people use biomass fuels - wood, charcoal and animal dung - for their domestic energy needs. These are typically burned in inefficient stoves or on open fires, with serious consequences for health and the environment. SEI identifies and designs actions to help households transition to cleaner technologies and energy sources.

Special issue: using an ecosystem services perspective to assess biofuel sustainability

Journal article / This special issue fills research gaps on sustainability implications of liquid biofuel production, applying an ecosystem services perspective.

21 July 2018 / About Bioeconomy, Energy access and Household energy

A factory chimney spews smoke over the rooftops of nearby homes in Mukuru

Better air, better climate: Highlighting co-benefits of climate action in Kenya

Feature / Kenyan government showed interest in the LEAP-IBC energy planning tool at a seminar in Nairobi.

10 August 2018 / About Cities, Household energy, Pollution and Short lived climate pollutants

Potential environmental benefits from woodfuel transitions in Haiti: Geospatial scenarios to 2027

Journal article / This paper finds that current woodfuel demand may contribute to moderate levels of degradation, but it is not as severe as is typically portrayed.

1 March 2018 / About Forests and Household energy

Africa Biogas Partnership Program: A review of clean cooking implementation through market development in East Africa

Journal article / This paper analyses the Africa Biogas Partnership Program (ABPP) in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda.

20 June 2018 / About Household energy

Assessment of the Cambodian National Biodigester Program

Journal article / This paper identifies multiple changes that have undermined the initial momentum of the National Biodigester Program.

30 June 2018 / About Household energy

Cambodian farmers love biogas stoves. So why aren’t they buying them anymore?

Feature / A national biodigester program was an unmitigated success – until installations plummeted. Researchers sought to find out why.

24 July 2018 / About Household energy

Visby, Gotland. Photo credit: ClaraNila / Getty Images.

SEI research experts at Almedalen 2018

Past event / Between 1 and 8 July 2018 SEI experts will participate at Almedalen, one of the world's largest democratic gatherings for social issues.

01 July 2018 / About Household energy, Innovation and Sustainable lifestyles

Exploring household energy transitions in rural Zambia from the user perspective

Journal article / This paper looks at users' experience of connecting to and using electricity services from a 60 kW solar mini-grid in Mpanta, Zambia.

28 June 2018 / About Energy access, Household energy and Renewables

User perceptions about the adoption and use of ethanol fuel and cookstoves in Maputo, Mozambique

Journal article / Understanding the barriers to the uptake of ethanol stove technologies by eliciting users' perception, adoption, and use patterns of ethanol

11 April 2018 / About Energy access and Household energy