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The biogas initiative in developing countries, from technical potential to failure: The case study of Senegal

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  • Diouf, Boucar
  • Miezan, Ekra

Abstract

It is commonly agreed upon that the main impediment to a wide dissemination of household-size bio-digesters in sub-Saharan Africa is primarily related to up-front costs. As in other sub-Saharan African countries, the original assumption of the biogas program initiated by the government of Senegal, in collaboration with some international organizations, was to develop bio-digesters as viable marketable goods to alleviate poverty, improve health by reducing indoor air pollution associated to fuel-wood, mitigate deforestation, and produce bio-slurry as an alternative to non-organic fertilizers. The failure of the biogas program followed the failure of the liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) program in rural areas. The present study has investigated the policies of cooking fuels and the socio-economic challenges thwarting the dissemination of biogas in Senegal, essentially focusing on the root cause of unaffordability of clean cooking energy in rural areas. The study has found that the development of clean cooking fuel in Senegal is hindered by ill-devised and poorly implemented government policies and the rampant, structural poverty of the rural populations, particularly that of farmers who are mostly involved in agriculture and animal husbandry that do not generate sufficient revenues. The Senegalese government’s biogas program that had aimed at installing 8000 digesters between 2009 and 2013 failed to reach its goals, as less than 600 units were built. This study proposes a new paradigm that associates market-oriented livestock farming, income generation, and household biogas production in order to successfully deliver clean cooking energy to farmers. A successful dissemination of clean cooking fuel by means of biogas digesters, in particular, needs to be accompanied with better access to financial resources for rural farmers who generally live in poverty.

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  • Diouf, Boucar & Miezan, Ekra, 2019. "The biogas initiative in developing countries, from technical potential to failure: The case study of Senegal," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 101(C), pages 248-254.
  • Handle: RePEc:eee:rensus:v:101:y:2019:i:c:p:248-254
    DOI: 10.1016/j.rser.2018.11.011
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Youm, I. & Sarr, J. & Sall, M. & Kane, M. M., 2000. "Renewable energy activities in Senegal: a review," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 4(1), pages 75-89, March.
    2. Diouf, Boucar & Pode, Ramchandra & Osei, Rita, 2015. "Recycling mobile phone batteries for lighting," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 78(C), pages 509-515.
    3. Diouf, Boucar, 2016. "Tontine: Self-help financing for solar home systems," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 90(C), pages 166-174.
    4. Diouf, Boucar & Pode, Ramchandra & Osei, Rita, 2013. "Initiative for 100% rural electrification in developing countries: Case study of Senegal," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 59(C), pages 926-930.
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    Cited by:

    1. Pal, Ankit & Bhattacharjee, Subhadeep, 2020. "Effectuation of biogas based hybrid energy system for cost-effective decentralized application in small rural community," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 203(C).
    2. Bundhoo, Zumar M.A. & Surroop, Dinesh, 2019. "Evaluation of the potential of bio-methane production from field-based crop residues in Africa," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 115(C).
    3. Lei Zheng & Jingang Chen & Mingyue Zhao & Shikun Cheng & Li-Pang Wang & Heinz-Peter Mang & Zifu Li, 2020. "What Could China Give to and Take from Other Countries in Terms of the Development of the Biogas Industry?," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(4), pages 1-21, February.
    4. Zanxin Wang & Saqib Ali & Ahsan Akbar & Farhan Rasool, 2020. "Determining the Influencing Factors of Biogas Technology Adoption Intention in Pakistan: The Moderating Role of Social Media," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(7), pages 1-20, March.
    5. Mukeshimana, Marie Claire & Zhao, Zhen-Yu & Nshimiyimana, Jean Pierre, 2021. "Evaluating strategies for renewable energy development in Rwanda: An integrated SWOT – ISM analysis," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 176(C), pages 402-414.
    6. Saif Ullah & Ali Abid & Waqas Aslam & Rana Shahzad Noor & Muhammad Mohsin Waqas & Tian Gang, 2021. "Predicting Behavioral Intention of Rural Inhabitants toward Economic Incentive for Deforestation in Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(2), pages 1-17, January.
    7. Marc Kalina & Jonathan Òlal Ogwang & Elizabeth Tilley, 2022. "From potential to practice: rethinking Africa’s biogas revolution," Palgrave Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 9(1), pages 1-5, December.
    8. Nazia Yasmin & Philipp Grundmann, 2019. "Pre- and Post-Adoption Beliefs about the Diffusion and Continuation of Biogas-Based Cooking Fuel Technology in Pakistan," Energies, MDPI, vol. 12(16), pages 1-16, August.
    9. Mukeshimana, Marie Claire & Zhao, Zhen-Yu & Ahmad, Munir & Irfan, Muhammad, 2021. "Analysis on barriers to biogas dissemination in Rwanda: AHP approach," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 163(C), pages 1127-1137.
    10. Luo, Erga & Yan, Ru & He, Yaping & Han, Zhen & Feng, Yiyu & Qian, Wenrong & Li, Jinkai, 2024. "Does biogas industrial policy promote the industrial transformation?," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 88(C).

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