REGIONAL AND LOCAL DEVELOPMENT
Adequate and environmentally sound supply of energy is a precondition for economic and social progress, both in industrialised and developing countries. In the latter, improved living conditions and poverty reduction are hard to conceive without a reliable supply of energy. According to World Bank estimates, for instance, about two billion people with no access to electricity are entirely dependent on traditional fuels such as firewood and dung.
The resulting environmental problems like deforestation and rangeland degradation and the growing concern for environmental protection call for solutions that go beyond traditional sector policies.
A prerequisite for a successful and future-oriented energy policy is the integration of infrastructure services and local communities into an overall development strategy that consolidates the objectives of economic growth, environmental protection and social equity in accordance with AGENDA 21.
HEAT gives the end-use approach preference to the supply approach. This approach starts with the consumer, the person or organisation using energy, rather than putting the emphasis on supply as is usually the case. End-use analysis begins by defining sectors of energy consumption. These include households, industry, transport, agriculture and commerce.