Sustainable use of energy is critical to improvement of the quality of life as well as promotion of environmental protection.
Use of renewable and sustainable sources of energy for cooking in rural areas reduces incidents of respiratory diseases especially amongst women and children who spend a lot of time in the smoke filled kitchens that are usually not well ventilated. This will not only save the forests but will reduce the medical burden on the health sector as well as the households.
Biogas, energy efficient stoves,small solar lights and making charcoal briquettes from plant biomass are some of the ways to introduce sustainable energy use in rural areas.
Enhancing the capacity of the rural communities on energy conservation as well as emerging technologies would go a long way in the achievement of energy sustainability.
Giving financial and other incentives would encourage the communities to access as well as embrace energy conservation methods.
For example provision of daily or beef cows and biogas as a loan or grant would make biogas accessible to farmers .
Implementation of policies and regulations governing the energy sector is very important in the promotion of energy conservation. This would include tax waiver in the importation of renewable energy equipment, ensuring that builders are abiding by the energy efficiency regulations and standards.
