IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/cup/endeec/v19y2014i01p8-29_00.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Greening China's rural energy: new insights on the potential of smallholder biogas

Author

Listed:
  • Christiaensen, Luc
  • Heltberg, Rasmus

Abstract

This study assesses a new generation of smallholder biogas, an applied sustainable energy technology currently being rolled out on a massive scale in rural China. In the past, the implementation of biogas programs has been largely disappointing, in China (and elsewhere). User satisfaction with the new program is high, based on purposively collected data from 2,700 households in five provinces, and the available evidence suggests tangible environmental and economic benefits. There are strong indications of fuel switching away from fuelwood and crop residues. Less time is spent on fuelwood collection and cooking, which benefits women especially. Adopters save on fertilizers by using biogas residues. Finally, problems with suspension and interrupted supply appear lower than in earlier studies. Overall, these initial findings are grounds for optimism about the potential for scaled-up smallholder biogas to deliver safe and clean rural energy, in China and beyond, provided critical conditions are met.

Suggested Citation

  • Christiaensen, Luc & Heltberg, Rasmus, 2014. "Greening China's rural energy: new insights on the potential of smallholder biogas," Environment and Development Economics, Cambridge University Press, vol. 19(1), pages 8-29, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:cup:endeec:v:19:y:2014:i:01:p:8-29_00
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S1355770X13000375/type/journal_article
    File Function: link to article abstract page
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    Other versions of this item:

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Zhang, Xiaobo & Yang, Jin & Wang, Shenglin, 2011. "China has reached the Lewis turning point," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 22(4), pages 542-554.
    2. Rasmus Heltberg & Thomas Channing Arndt & Nagothu Udaya Sekhar, 2000. "Fuelwood Consumption and Forest Degradation: A Household Model for Domestic Energy Substitution in Rural India," Land Economics, University of Wisconsin Press, vol. 76(2), pages 213-232.
    3. Chen, Yu & Yang, Gaihe & Sweeney, Sandra & Feng, Yongzhong, 2010. "Household biogas use in rural China: A study of opportunities and constraints," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 14(1), pages 545-549, January.
    4. Leiwen Jiang & Brian C. O'Neill, 2004. "The energy transition in rural China," International Journal of Global Energy Issues, Inderscience Enterprises Ltd, vol. 21(1/2), pages 2-26.
    5. Heltberg, Rasmus, 2004. "Fuel switching: evidence from eight developing countries," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 26(5), pages 869-887, September.
    6. Kohlin, Gunnar & Sills, Erin O. & Pattanayak, Subhrendu K. & Wilfong, Christopher, 2011. "Energy, gender and development: what are the linkages ? where is the evidence ?," Policy Research Working Paper Series 5800, The World Bank.
    7. Cooke, Priscilla & Köhlin, Gunnar & Hyde, William F., 2008. "Fuelwood, forests and community management – evidence from household studies," Environment and Development Economics, Cambridge University Press, vol. 13(1), pages 103-135, February.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Xu, Shang & Klaiber, Allen, 2018. "Provision of Natural Gas Infrastructure and Shifts in Fuel Patterns," 2018 Annual Meeting, August 5-7, Washington, D.C. 274447, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association.
    2. Gill-Wiehl, A. & Ray, I. & Kammen, D., 2021. "Is clean cooking affordable? A review," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 151(C).
    3. Syed M Amir & Yonggong Liu & Ashfaq A Shah & Umer Khayyam & Zafar Mahmood, 2020. "Empirical study on influencing factors of biogas technology adoption in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan," Energy & Environment, , vol. 31(2), pages 308-329, March.
    4. Xu, Shang & Allen Klaiber, H., 2019. "The impact of new natural gas pipelines on emissions and fuel consumption in China," Resource and Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 55(C), pages 49-62.
    5. E. Somanathan & Randall Bluffstone, 2015. "Biogas: Clean Energy Access with Low-Cost Mitigation of Climate Change," Environmental & Resource Economics, Springer;European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 62(2), pages 265-277, October.
    6. Robyn Meeks & Katharine R. E. Sims & Hope Thompson, 2019. "Waste Not: Can Household Biogas Deliver Sustainable Development?," Environmental & Resource Economics, Springer;European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 72(3), pages 763-794, March.
    7. Krishnapriya, P.P. & Chandrasekaran, Maya & Jeuland, Marc & Pattanayak, Subhrendu K., 2021. "Do improved cookstoves save time and improve gender outcomes? Evidence from six developing countries," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 102(C).
    8. Chen, Qiu & Liu, Tianbiao, 2017. "Biogas system in rural China: Upgrading from decentralized to centralized?," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 78(C), pages 933-944.
    9. Jun Hou & Weifeng Zhang & Pei Wang & Zhengxia Dou & Liwei Gao & David Styles, 2017. "Greenhouse Gas Mitigation of Rural Household Biogas Systems in China: A Life Cycle Assessment," Energies, MDPI, vol. 10(2), pages 1-14, February.
    10. Mengistu, M.G. & Simane, B. & Eshete, G. & Workneh, T.S., 2015. "A review on biogas technology and its contributions to sustainable rural livelihood in Ethiopia," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 48(C), pages 306-316.
    11. Zuo, Alec & Hou, Lingling & Huang, Zeying, 2020. "How does farmers' current usage of crop straws influence the willingness-to-accept price to sell?," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 86(C).
    12. Nalunga, Asha & Mugisha, Johnny & Walekhwa, Peter & Smith, Jo, 2019. "The dynamics of Household labor allocation to biogas production, farm and non-farm activities in central Uganda," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 142(C), pages 461-467.
    13. Novice Patrick Bakehe, 2021. "What drives biogas adoption in rural Lesotho?," African Development Review, African Development Bank, vol. 33(2), pages 357-367, June.
    14. Kelebe, Haftu Etsay & Ayimut, Kiros Meles & Berhe, Gebresilasse Hailu & Hintsa, Kidane, 2017. "Determinants for adoption decision of small scale biogas technology by rural households in Tigray, Ethiopia," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 66(C), pages 272-278.
    15. Li, Jianglong & Chen, Chang & Liu, Hongxun, 2019. "Transition from non-commercial to commercial energy in rural China: Insights from the accessibility and affordability," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 127(C), pages 392-403.
    16. He, Ke & Zhang, Junbiao & Zeng, Yangmei, 2020. "Households’ willingness to pay for energy utilization of crop straw in rural China：Based on an improved UTAUT model," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 140(C).

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Niklas Vahlne & Erik O. Ahlgren, 2014. "Energy Efficiency at the Base of the Pyramid: A System-Based Market Model for Improved Cooking Stove Adoption," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 6(12), pages 1-21, November.
    2. Lee, Soo Min & Kim, Yeon-Su & Jaung, Wanggi & Latifah, Sitti & Afifi, Mansur & Fisher, Larry A., 2015. "Forests, fuelwood and livelihoods—energy transition patterns in eastern Indonesia," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 85(C), pages 61-70.
    3. Kowsari, Reza & Zerriffi, Hisham, 2011. "Three dimensional energy profile:," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 39(12), pages 7505-7517.
    4. Wang, Chengchao & Yang, Yusheng & Zhang, Yaoqi, 2012. "Rural household livelihood change, fuelwood substitution, and hilly ecosystem restoration: Evidence from China," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 16(5), pages 2475-2482.
    5. Démurger, Sylvie & Fournier, Martin, 2011. "Poverty and firewood consumption: A case study of rural households in northern China," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 22(4), pages 512-523.
    6. Khalid Waleed & Faisal Mehmood Mirza, 2023. "Examining fuel choice patterns through household energy transition index: an alternative to traditional energy ladder and stacking models," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 25(7), pages 6449-6501, July.
    7. Sun, Dingqiang & Bai, Junfei & Qiu, Huanguang & Cai, Yaqing, 2014. "Impact of government subsidies on household biogas use in rural China," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 73(C), pages 748-756.
    8. Jack Gregory & David I. Stern, 2012. "Fuel Choices in Rural Maharashtra," CCEP Working Papers 1207, Centre for Climate & Energy Policy, Crawford School of Public Policy, The Australian National University.
    9. Christophe Muller & Huijie Yan, 2018. "Household Fuel Use in Rural China," AMSE Working Papers 1808, Aix-Marseille School of Economics, France.
    10. Muller, Christophe & Yan, Huijie, 2018. "Household fuel use in developing countries: Review of theory and evidence," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 70(C), pages 429-439.
    11. Yang, Xiaojun & Xu, Jintao & Xu, Xiaojie & Yi, Yuanyuan & Hyde, William F., 2020. "Collective forest tenure reform and household energy consumption: A case study in Yunnan Province, China," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 60(C).
    12. Liu, Wenling & Spaargaren, Gert & Heerink, Nico & Mol, Arthur P.J. & Wang, Can, 2013. "Energy consumption practices of rural households in north China: Basic characteristics and potential for low carbon development," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 55(C), pages 128-138.
    13. Gebreegziabher, Zenebe & Mekonnen, Alemu & Kassie, Menale & Köhlin, Gunnar, 2012. "Urban energy transition and technology adoption: The case of Tigrai, northern Ethiopia," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 34(2), pages 410-418.
    14. Gosens, Jorrit & Lu, Yonglong & He, Guizhen & Bluemling, Bettina & Beckers, Theo A.M., 2013. "Sustainability effects of household-scale biogas in rural China," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 54(C), pages 273-287.
    15. Basole, Amit & Basu, Deepankar, 2015. "Fuelling Calorie Intake Decline: Household-Level Evidence from Rural India," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 68(C), pages 82-95.
    16. Scheurlen, Elena, 2015. "Time allocation to energy resource collection in rural Ethiopia: Gender-disaggregated household responses to changes in firewood availability:," IFPRI discussion papers 1419, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).
    17. Zenebe Gebreegziabher & Oskam, Arie j. & Bayou Demeke, 2011. "Urban fuel demand in Ethiopia: an almost-ideal demand system approach," Ethiopian Journal of Economics, Ethiopian Economics Association, vol. 19(1), September.
    18. Ahmed Moustapha Mfokeu & Elie Virgile Chrysostome & Jean-Pierre Gueyie & Olivier Ebenezer Mun Ngapna, 2023. "Consumer Motivation behind the Use of Ecological Charcoal in Cameroon," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(3), pages 1-22, January.
    19. Guta, Dawit Diriba, 2014. "Effect of fuelwood scarcity and socio-economic factors on household bio-based energy use and energy substitution in rural Ethiopia," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 75(C), pages 217-227.
    20. van der Kroon, Bianca & Brouwer, Roy & van Beukering, Pieter J.H., 2013. "The energy ladder: Theoretical myth or empirical truth? Results from a meta-analysis," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 20(C), pages 504-513.

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:cup:endeec:v:19:y:2014:i:01:p:8-29_00. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Kirk Stebbing (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.cambridge.org/ede .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.