Present State of Energy Utilization in Rural China

Abstract

Although China is rich in energy resources, the rapid growth of the population in rural areas has caused a serious shortage of fuel and deterioration of the environment. There are difficulties in increasing the supply of fossil fuel quickly to satisfy the energy demands of the population in rural areas. The situation can be alleviated by diffusing and popularising practicable technologies for using new and renewable sources of energy. The use of highly effective stoves is simple, needs less investment and can get results very soon. The best use of biomass is in integrated biogas technology. Small hydroelectric power resources are important for rural electrification and solar, wind and geothermal energy may be used as supplementary rural energy resources.