Most developing countries have abundant renewable energy resources, including solar energy, wind power, geothermal energy, and biomass, as well as the ability to manufacture the relatively labor-intensive systems that harness these. By developing such energy sources developing countries can reduce their dependence on oil and natural gas, creating energy portfolios that are less vulnerable to price rises. In many circumstances, these investments can be less expensive than fossil fuel energy systems.[1] Besides, they help to face the climate change urgency.
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Renewable energy can be particularly suitable for developing countries. In rural and remote areas, transmission and distribution of energy generated from fossil fuels can be difficult and expensive. Producing renewable energy locally can offer a viable alternative.[2]
Interest in renewable energies has increased in recent years due to environmental concerns about global warming and air pollution, reduced costs of renewable energy technologies, and improved efficiency and reliability.[2]
Many recent trends reflect the importance of developing countries in advancing renewable energy. Collectively, developing countries have more than half of global renewable power capacity. China and India are rapidly expanding markets for renewables. Brazil produces most of the world’s sugar-derived ethanol and has been adding new biomass and wind power plants. Many renewables markets are growing at rapid rates in countries such as Argentina, Costa Rica, Egypt, Indonesia, Kenya, Tanzania, Thailand, Tunisia, and Uruguay.[3]
As of 2010, an estimated 3 million households get power from small solar PV systems. Micro-hydro systems configured into village-scale or county-scale mini-grids serve many areas.[4] More than 30 million rural households get lighting and cooking from biogas made in household-scale digesters. Biomass cookstoves are used by 40 percent of the world’s population. These stoves are being manufactured in factories and workshops worldwide, and more than 160 million households now use bobthem.[4]
Renewable energy projects in many developing countries have demonstrated that renewable energy can directly contribute to poverty alleviation by providing the energy needed for creating businesses and employment. Renewable energy technologies can also make indirect contributions to alleviating poverty by providing energy for cooking, space heating, and lighting.[1]
Renewable energy can also contribute to education, by providing electricity to schools. Renewable energy for cooking and heating can reduce the time that children spend out of school collecting fuel.[5] In addition, the displacement of traditional fuels reduces the health problems from indoor air pollution produced by burning those fuels.[1]
2,4 million of people use only traditional energy as biomass-wood, residues and dung, for cooking and heating. This constant use of these type of energy exposed them to indoor particulate and carbon monoxide concentrations considered in many times higher than World Health Organisation (WHO) standards. "Traditional stoves using dung and charcoal emit large amounts of carbon monoxide and other noxious gases. Women and children suffer most, because they are exposed for the longest periods of time. Acute respiratory illnesses affect as much as 6% of the world population. The WHO estimates that 2.5million women and young children in developing countries die prematurely each year from breathing the fumes from indoor biomass stoves".[6] Renewable energy can contribute to improved this situation by avoiding the exposure to indoor pollutants.
Furthermore, renewables can also provide energy to refrigerate medicine and sterilize medical equipment, almost in rural area where the access to electricity is difficult.[7] It can also provide power for supplying the fresh water and sewerage services needed to reduce infectious disease.[1]
Relatively few developing countries have adopted the public policies needed for the widespread development of renewable energy technologies and markets, which have been dominated by Europe, Japan, and North America. The exceptions include countries like Brazil, which has built the world’s leading biofuels industry, China, India, which are leaders in developing decentralized renewable sources such as small hydro, small wind, biogas, and solar water heating.[1] However, policies like feed in tariff are applied. Besides, with the Kyoto Protocol, the rogram called the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) that allows for industrialized nations to invest in projects that reduce emissions in developing countries as an alternative to more expensive emission reductions in their own countries.[8]
Developing-country Governments need to steer resources mobilized for large-scale investments into new production sectors and new technologies. Some argue that policies shuould base on ective industrial policies, combining large scale investments and active policy interventions. There is a need of subsidizing these type of energy to make them affordable to the major part[9]
See Renewable energy in Brazil
Indian government promotes renewable energy. The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (India) is particularly dedicated to this aim. This ministry launched in 2009 the "National Biomass Cooskstove Initiative" to provide clean cooking energy option.[10] There is different programs supported it like India's Remote Village Electrification Program. This Program has steadily progressed. By early 2009, a cumulative total of 4,250 villages and 1,160 hamlets had been electrified using renewable energy. Rural applications of solar PV in India increased to more than 435,000 home lighting systems, 700,000 solar lanterns, and 7,000 solar-powered water pumps. 637,000 solar cookers and 160 MW of small-scale biomass gasification systems for off-grid power generation are in use.[11]
Algeria has launched February 3, 2011[12], the National Development Programme for new and renewable energy and energy efficiency[13]. The program, which spans the period from 2011 to 2013, aims to produce 22,000 MW of electricity from solar and wind power which 10,000 MW for export[14].
In Kenya, the Ministry of Energy[15] is in charge of renewable energy policies. In march 2008, the country has adopted the feed in tariff policy. In January 2010, the policy was revised to urge private sectors to invest in electricity generation from renewable energy.[16] Kenya is the world leader in the number of solar power systems installed per capita (but not the number of watts added). More than 30,000 small solar panels, each producing 12 to 30 watts, are sold in Kenya annually. For an investment of as little as $100 for the panel and wiring, the PV system can be used to charge a car battery, which can then provide power to run a fluorescent lamp or a small television for a few hours a day. More Kenyans adopt solar power every year than make connections to the country’s electric grid.[17]
The country is the world leader in renewable use with massive investment in windmill technologies. 99.2% of the total primary energy supply is of renewable. The government aim is to make the country the world's first carbon neutral country.[18][19]