Developing countries need energy to raise productivity and improve the living standards of their populations. Traditionally, developing countries have addressed their energy needs by expanding the supply base with little attention to the efficiency of energy use.

This approach is now, however, raising serious financial, institutional, and environmental problems. The magnitude of these problems underlines the need for improving the efficiency with which energy is currently used and produced in developing countries.

OTA finds that there are major opportunities— drawing on currently available or near-commercial technologies-for improving efficiencies throughout the energy systems of developing countries.

These technologies promise to save energy, diminish adverse environmental impacts, reduce life cycle costs to consumers, and lower systemwide capital costs. Despite these advantages, efficient technologies may not be rapidly adopted unless technology transfer is improved and policies and procedures in donor agencies and the developing countries themselves are designed to remove impediments to their adoption. There are already promising signs of greater attention to removal of such barriers, but much remains to be done.

The way in which developing countries meet their energy needs directly relates to a number of U.S. policy concerns. International political stability depends on steady broad-based economic growth in the developing countries, which in turn requires economic and reliable energy services.

The developing countries are of growing importance in global energy markets and global environmental issues: these countries are projected to account for over one-half of the increase in global energy consumption over the next three decades with corresponding increases in their emissions of carbon dioxide, a major greenhouse gas. Sharply rising demand for oil from the developing countries contributes to upward pressure on international oil prices. Developing country debt, often energy related, affects the stability of U.S. and international banking systems.

At the same time, developing countries offer the United States important trade opportunities in their large and expanding markets for energy technologies.

The United States has a number of programs influencing the diffusion of energy efficient and renewable energy technologies in developing countries, The United States could increase its influence by providing greater leadership in technology transfer, including research, development and demonstration, information dissemination, and training. The United States could also promote the adoption of more energy efficient technologies by supporting policy changes in both lending agencies and developing countries.

Finally, the United States could set a good example of energy efficient behavior at home.

Download Fueling Development: Energy Technologies for Developing Countries

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Fueling Development: Energy Technologies for Developing Countries
By United States Congress. Office of Technology Assessment
Published by DIANE Publishing, 1992
ISBN 0160361850, 9780160361852

CONTENTS
Chapter I: Overview
Chapter 2: Energy and the Developing Countries 
Chapter 3: Energy Services: Residential and Commercial
Chapter 4: Energy Services: Industry and Agriculture
Chapter 5: Energy Services: Transport
Chapter 6: Energy Conversion Technologies
Chapter 7: Energy Resources and Supplies
Chapter 8: Issues and Options
Appendix A: Capital and Life Cycle Costs for Electricity Services
Appendix B: Electricity Supply Technologies 
Appendix C: Conversion Factors, Abbreviations, and Glossary
Index

Foreword
This report examines the delivery of energy services in developing countries and how the United States can help to improve these energy services while minimizing environmental impacts, OTA examines the technologies and policies that will enable more efficient use of energy and the most promising new sources of energy supply. T

his assessment was requested by the Senate Committee on Governmental Affairs; the House Committee on Energy and Commerce and its Subcommittee on Energy and Power; the Subcommittees on Human Rights and International Organizations and on Africa of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs; the Subcommittee on International Development, Finance, Trade, and Monetary Policy of the House Banking Committee; and individual members of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, the House Select Committee on Hunger, and the Congressional Competitiveness Caucus. ...

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