Assessment of Rural Energy sources and Energy Consumption pattern in West Shewa and East Wellega Zones, Oromia Regional National state, Ethiopia
Abstract
The study was conducted in West shewa and East wollega zones; Oromia Regional State with objective of the study is to identify the major rural source of energy consumption in the study area and to identify constraint and potential of energy use in the study area. About 141Male and 39 Female households were interviewed by structured questionnaire and data were analyzed by descriptive statistics under SPSS software. The characteristic of rural Energy source utilization , the majority of respondent uses firewood about 91.1% and about 16.9% the respondent uses agricultural residue for the purpose of bakin g Enjera , Firewood is the first widely used energy source, about 57.2% of the respondent uses Firewood and about 22.8% of the respondent uses charcoal for the purpose of heating mostly. About 55% the respondents uses kerosene and the respondent’s uses sma ll size solar only about 20% for purpose of lighting. Electricity, battery cell, biogas was the lowest level energy sources of study area. In study area even if some rural HHs with access to electric service , they did not use for the purpose of Enjera bak ing as well as heating , only use for the purpose of lighting in study area. The main reasons for preference of biomass energy consumption in the stud y area is ease of access, cultural preference, cheap pricesandthe last reasons for choice biomass energy consumption is convenience when they u sed and no alternative source.
Small HHs uses the available alter native energy technology like biogas, modern charcoal stove (leqach), Mirt stove, small size solar energy. Firewood and Agricultural residue were the potential energy sources in study area and unlike Agricultural research , lack of Rese arch on Rural energy sources, la ck of effective rural energy technology, socio -economic problem to accept av ailable rural energy sources, la ck of information where and ho w alternatives rural energy technology were identified as constraints of rural energy sources in study area. To fill these knowledge gap AERC, should be planned to introduce new Rural Energy sources and Woreda water, mine and energy office should dissemina te the available alternative technologies for ruralhouseholds.
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Introduction
Energy is very crucial for daily life to meet human beings basic need such as cooking, boiling water, lighting and heating (WHO, 2006). There is a strong linkage between energy and the millennium development goals. According to World Bank (2009), energy service delivery, especially to the poor, contributes to achieving the millenniu m development goals
Most of the household in developing countries like Ethiopia continue to be dependent on traditional use of solid fuels (biomass) for cooking and heating, due to lack of access to electricity and modern energy sources. Consumption of traditional fuels has negative on environmental, economic and health impacts. The inefficient way people use energy is factor accreting deforestation. The main causes of deforestation in Africa are fuel wood collection, logging, agricultural expansion , and population pressure (Nebiyu, A.2009). Biomass fuel is very common in Ethiopia and fuels are mainly burned in inefficient open fires and traditional stoves.
For achieving sustainability in rural development with emphasis on livelihood and the means of enha ncing the economic wellbeing of the poor households, it is necessary that affordable access to energy is provided to the households. Western oromia has problem of shortage of rain, drought, deforestation, hot temperature, Termite infection and etc. was inc reasing year to year. Those problems were decrease production and productivity, decre ase income, loss saving poverty was developed at household level and decrease access of water availability (Annual Report of East WolegaZoneDisaster Prevention and prepare dness office on ADPLAC, 2014). So the objective this study isto identify the major source of energy consumption in the study areaand to identify constraint and potential of energy use. In selected zones, no systematic studies have been undertaken regarding the rural energy consumption behavior of households.
Conclusion
The characteristic of household Energy source utilization, the majority of respondent uses firewood about 91.1% and about 16.9% the respondent uses crop residue for the purpose of baking Enjera . Firewood is the first widely used energy source, about 57.2% of the respondent uses Firewood and about 22.8% of the responde nt uses charcoal for the purpose of heating mostly. About 55% the respondents uses kerosene and the respondent’s uses small size solar only about 20% for purpose of lighting. Electricity, battery cell, biogas was the lowest level energy sources of study area. In study area even if some rural HHs with access to electric service , they did not use for the purpose of Enjera baking as well as heating , only use for the purpose of lighting in study area.
The main reasons for preference of biomass energy consump tion in the study area is ease of access (31.7%), cultural preference (30%) and cheap prices (21.1%) source of energy furthermore the least reasons for choice of rural households energy consumption is convenience when they used and No alternative source of 8.3% and 8.9% respectively
Among the various fuels considered fire wood and Crop residue turned out to be the prominent energy sources of households in the study area. All households in sample use firewood as energy source with small portion of it coming from the market (purchasing). HHs who self collected firewood, women and girls were found more about 51.8% and followed by Women participates in the collection of fire wood. The finding revels that on average households traveled 0.5hr, with minimum and maximum 0.1hr and 2hr to collect firewood. They collect wood 2 to 3 times in a week. The fuel wood collection frequency depends on the family size and also on distance from the source. Large families require more wood to fulfill their domestic energy needs, s o they collect 2 to 3 times in a week. Their fuel wood demand doubles in winter season as compared to the summer season because they require more fuel wood for heating purposes. On average the respondents collect 3 times per week. And on average it takes 1 .3hrs with minimum and maximum of 0.2 hrs and 6hrs to collect fire wood for one trip The main activities affected by fuel wood collection was, educational activities of the female, and Agricultural activities was t he mostly affected activity. The main prob lems using firewood was to smoky and causes eye disease and cough, increased burden on women, facilitate erosion anddeforestation
About 111(61.7%) have no alternative energy sources like biogas, solar energy and improved charcoal stove, mirt Enjera stove, electricity but about 69 (38.3%) have such like alternative energy sources. The possible reason why they have not alternative energy sources are, luck of cost, luck accessibility, luck of awareness on alternative energy source and luck of interest on to ge t alternative energy source . according to rank to correlation analysis between two zones show that the relation of the causes of 80% and this can be similarity reasons of not have alternative energy sources Firewood and crop residue is dominant energy sou rces and energy potentials for Enjera baking and water heating in the study area. In same the way kerosene and small size solar system was energy potentials forlighting
In study area, the constraints of rural energy sources were identified and prioritized in order to importance by farmers in study area. About 39.1% of respondent reply lack of manufacture on alternative rural energy source, socio -economic problems to accept available rural energy technology (33.2%), Lack of effective alternative rural energ y sources(15.6%), unlike, Agricultural input, lack of research on alternative energy sources (12.5%), are the major constraintsidentified.
