Abstract
Currently, energy poverty has gained increasing attention from communities around the world. A growing body of literature has attempted to advance our understanding of energy poverty, verify its causes and driving forces and determine possible solutions. However, there exists a gap between, on the one hand, the policy implications drawn by scholars and the pledges announced by policymakers and, on the other hand, the progress toward energy poverty eradication. Moreover, the arrival of the COVID-19 era and the emergence of a new global energy economy have placed extra strain on a system attempting to transform into an affordable and clean energy system. Therefore, there is an urgent need to implement policies to alleviate energy poverty. Despite the complexity of addressing persistent challenges, this chapter aims to bridge theoretical concepts with political practices and hence establish a comprehensive policy framework to tackle the multifaceted nature of energy poverty. Specifically, this chapter provides reviews of fundamental themes, visualizations of frontier directions, and the global distribution of the subject of energy poverty. Then, this study matches the latest country-level data on electricity access with a broad range of socioeconomic indicators since COVID-19. The results show that energy poverty appeared to amplify the adverse pandemic-related shocks to education, food safety, and self-protection in social contact. Most importantly, this research promotes applicable policies and highlights up-to-date recommendations with regard to both short-term solutions and long-term targets to propose an anti-energy poverty pathway. The implications drawn from this chapter focus on providing an evidence-driven picture for the policy sphere to recognize the energy poor and on enabling the ability to monitor this particular form of poverty.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Abu-Rayash, A., & Dincer, L. (2020). Analysis of the electricity demand trends amidst the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic. Energy Research and Social Science, 68, 101682.
Ajzen, I., & Fishbein, M. (1977). Attitude-behavior relations: A theoretical analysis and review of empirical research. Psychological Bulletin, 84(5), 888–918.
Ambrose, A., Raker, W., Sherriff, G., et al. (2021). Cold comfort: COVID-19, lockdown and the coping strategies of fuel poor households. Energy Reports, 7, 5589–5596.
Ampofo, A., & Mabefam, M. G. (2021). Religiosity and energy poverty: Empirical evidence across countries. Energy Economics, 102(3), 105463.
Barnes, D., Khandker, S., & Samad, H. (2011). Energy poverty in rural Bangladesh. Energy Policy, 39(2), 894–904.
Barreca, A., Clay, K., Deschenes, O., et al. (2016). Adapting to climate change: The remarkable decline in the US temperature-mortality relationship over the twentieth century. Journal of Political Economy, 124(1), 105–159.
Betto, F., Garengo, P., & Lorenzoni, A. (2020). A new measure of Italian hidden energy poverty. Energy Policy, 138, 111237.
Bienvenido-Huertas, D. (2021). Do unemployment benefits and economic aids to pay electricity bills remove the energy poverty risk of Spanish family units during lockdown? A study of COVID-19-induced lockdown. Energy Policy, 150, 112117.
Bistline, J., Brown, M., Siddiqui, S. A., & Vaillancourt, K. (2020). Electric sector impacts of renewable policy coordination: A multi-model study of the north american energy system. Energy Policy, 145, 111707.
Bonatz, N., Guo, R., Wu, W., et al. (2019). A comparative study of the interlinages between energy poverty and low carbon development in China and Germany by developing an energy poverty index. Energy and Buildings, 183(15), 817–831.
Brown, D., Hall, S., Martiskainen, M., et al. (2022). Conceptualising domestic energy service business models: A typology and policy recommendations. Energy Policy, 161, 112704.
Carfora, A., Scandurra, G., & Thomas, A. (2022). Forecasting the COVID-19 effects on energy poverty across EU member states. Energy Policy, 161, 112597.
Chaudhry, M. S., & Shafiullah, M. (2021). Does culture affect energy poverty? Evidence from a cross-country analysis. Energy Economics, 102, 105536.
Che, X., Zhu, B., & Wang, P. (2021). Assessing global energy poverty: An integrated approach. Energy Policy, 149, 112099.
Chen, C. F., Rubens, G. Z., Xu, X., & Li, J. (2020). Coronavirus comes home? Energy use, home energy management, and the social-psychological factors of COVID-19. Energy Research and Social Science, 68, 101688.
Churchill, S. A., & Smyth, R. (2020). Ethnic diversity, energy poverty and the mediating role of trust: Evidence from household panel data for Australia. Energy Economics, 133, 901–913.
Cicek, A., Güzel, S., Erdinç, O., & Catalão, J. P. (2021). Comprehensive survey on support policies and optimal market participation of renewable energy. Electric Power Systems Research, 201, 107522.
Evans, M., Yu, S., Staniszewski, A., et al. (2018). The international implications of national and local coordination on building energy codes: Case studies in six cities. Journal of Cleaner Production, 191, 127–134.
Farrell, L., & Fry, M. J. (2021). Australia’s gambling epidemic and energy poverty. Energy Economics, 927, 105218.
Feeny, S., Trinh, T. A., & Zhu, A. (2021). Temperature shocks and energy poverty: Findings from Vietnam. Energy Economics, 99, 105310.
Herrera, M. M., Cosenz, F., & Dyner, I. (2019). How to support energy policy coordination? Findings from the Brazilian wind industry. The Electricity Journal, 32(8), 106636.
Hills, J. (2011). Fuel poverty: The problem and its measurement. Interim report of the fuel poverty review. Centre for Analysis of Social Exclusion, LSE.
Hoang, A. H., Nizetic, S., Olcer, A. I., et al. (2021). Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the global energy system and policy implications. Energy Policy, 154, 112322.
Holstenkamp, L. (2019). What do we know about cooperative sustainable electrification in the global south? A synthesis of the literature and refined social-ecological systems framework. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 109, 307–320.
Hosier, R. H., & Dowd, J. (1987). Household fuel choice in Zimbabwe: An empirical test of the energy ladder hypothesis. Resource and Energy Economics, 9(4), 347–361.
IEA. (2010). World Energy Outlook 2010. https://www.iea.org/reports/world-energy-outlook-2010. Accessed 11 Jan 2022.
IEA. (2020). Power Systems in Transition. https://www.iea.org/reports/power-systems-in-transition. Accessed 25 Dec 2021.
IEA. (2021). World Energy Outlook 2021. https://www.iea.org/reports/world-energy-outlook-2021. Accessed 26 Dec 2021.
Imelda. (2020). Cooking that kills: Cleaner energy access, indoor air pollution, and health. Journal of Development Economics, 147, 102548.
IRENA. (2022). Global landscape of renewable energy finance 2020. https://www.irena.org/publications/2020/Nov/Global-Landscape-of-Renewable-Energy-Finance-2020. Accessed 13 Feb 2022.
Leckie, S. (1989). The un committee on economic, social and cultural rights and the right to adequate housing: Towards an appropriate approach. Hum Rights Quart, 11(4), 522–560.
Lennon, B., Dunphy, N. P., & Sanvicente, E. (2019). Community acceptability and the energy transition: A citizens’ perspective. Energy Sustain Soc, 9(1), 1–18.
Leonhardt, R., Noble, B., Fitzpatrick, P., et al. (2022). Advancing local energy transitions: A global review of government instruments supporting community energy. Energy Research and Social Science, 83, 102350.
Lewis, P. (1982). Fuel poverty can be stopped. National Right to Fuel Campaign.
Li, J., & Li, H. (2022). Spiritual support or living support: Which alleviates solid fuel use for rural households in ethnical minority regions of China? Renewable Energy, 189, 479–491.
Li, J., Zhang, J., Zhang, D., et al. (2019). Does gender inequality affect household green consumption behaviour in China? Energy Policy, 135, 111071.
Liddell, C., & Morris, C. (2010). Fuel poverty and human health: A review of recent evidence. Energy Policy, 38, 2987–2997.
Lin, B., & Kaewkhunok, S. (2021). The role of socio-culture in the solar power adoption: The inability to reach government policies of marginalized groups. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 144, 1111035.
Lin, B., & Wang, Y. (2020). Does energy poverty really exist in China? From the perspective of residential electricity consumption. Energy Policy, 143, 111557.
Liu, P., & Hei, Z. (2022). Strategic analysis and framework design on international cooperation for energy transition: A perspective from China. Energy Reports, 8, 2601–2616.
Mastropietro, P., Rodilla, P., & Batlle, C. (2020). Emergency measures to protect energy consumers during the Covid-19 pandemic: A global review and critical analysis. Energy Research and Social Science, 68, 101678.
Meng, X., & Serafettin, Y. (2020). Renewable energy cooperation in Northeast Asia: Incentives, mechanisms and challenges. Energy Strategy Reviews, 29, 100468.
Mustapa, I. S., Rasiah, R., Jaafar, H. A., et al. (2021). Implications of COVID-19 pandemic for energy-use and energy saving household electrical appliances consumption behaviour in Malaysia. Energy Strategy Reviews, 38, 100765.
Neuhoff, K., Diekmann, J., Kunz, F., et al. (2016). A coordinated strategic reserve to safeguard the European energy transition. Utilities Policy, 41, 252–263.
Nguyen, P. C., & Su, D. T. (2022). The influences of government spending on energy poverty: Evidence from developing countries. Energy, 238, 121785.
Nussbaumer, P., Bazilian, M., & Modi, V. (2012). Measuring energy poverty: Focusing onwhat matters. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 16(1), 231–243.
Okushima, S. (2016). Measuring energy poverty in Japan, 2004–2013. Energy Policy, 98, 557–564.
Oum, S. (2019). Energy poverty in the Lao PDR and its impacts on education and health. Energy Policy, 132, 247–253.
Pachauri, S., & Rao, N. D. (2013). Gender impacts and determinants of energy poverty: Are we asking the right questions? Curr Opin Env Sust, 5(2), 205–215.
Pachauri, S., Mueller, A., Kemmler, A., & Spreng, D. (2004). On measuring energy poverty in Indian households. World Development, 32(12), 2083–2104.
Pelau, C., & Pop, N. (2018). Implications for the energy policy derived from the relation between the cultural dimensions of Hofstede’s model and the consumption of renewable energies. Energy Policy, 118, 160–168.
Pelz, S., Pachauri, S., & Groh, S. (2018). A critical review of modern approaches for multidimensional energy poverty measurement. WIREs Energy and Environment, 7(6), e304.
Rademaekers, K., Yearwood, J., Ferreira, A., et al. (2016). Selecting indicators to measure energy poverty. https://www.ucl.ac.uk/bartlett/energy/news/2016/may/ucl-energy-co-authors-selecting-indicators-measure-energy-poverty-part-ec-project. Accessed 11 Jan 2022.
Ramachandran, V. (2021). Blanket bans on fossil-fuel funds will entrench poverty. Nature, 592(7855), 489–489.
Rao, F., Tang, Y., Chau, K., & Iqbal, W. (2022). Assessment of energy poverty and key influencing factors in N11 countries. Sustainable Production and Consumption, 30, 1–15.
Ravindra, K., Kaur-Sidhu, M., Mor, S., et al. (2021). Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on clean fuel programmes in India and ensuring sustainability for household energy needs. Environment International, 147, 106335.
Sadath, A., & Acharya, R. H. (2017). Assessing the extent and intensity of energy poverty using multidimensional energy poverty index: Empirical evidence from households in India. Energy Policy, 102, 540–548.
Sareen, S. (2021). Digitalisation and social inclusion in multi-scalar smart energy transitions. Energy Research and Social Science, 81, 102251.
Shyu, C. W. (2021). A framework for ‘right to energy’ to meet UN SDG7: Policy implications to meet basic human energy needs, eradicate energy poverty, enhance energy justice, and uphold energy democracy. Energy Research and Social Science, 79, 102199.
Simcock, N., Frankowski, J., & Bouzarovski, S. (2021). Rendered invisible: Institutional misrecognition and the reproduction of energy poverty. Geoforum, 124, 1–9.
Stojilovska, A., Yoon, H., & Robert, C. (2021). Out of the margins, into the light: Exploring energy poverty and household coping strategies in Austria, North Macedonia, France, and Spain. Energy Research and Social Science, 82, 102279.
UNDP. (2005). UNDP Annual Report 2005: A time for bold ambition: Together we can cut poverty in half. https://annualreport.undp.org. Accessed 13 Feb 2022.
Wang, Z., Sun, Y., & Wang, B. (2020). Policy cognition is more effective than step tariff in promoting electricity saving behaviour of residents. Energy Policy, 139, 111338.
Wang, H., Maruejols, L., & Yu, X. (2021). Predicting energy poverty with combinations of remote-sensing and socioeconomic survey data in India: Evidence from machine learning. Energy Economics, 102, 105510.
World Bank. (2022). COVID-19 high-frequency monitoring dashboard. The World Bank Group. https://www.worldbank.org/en/data/interactive/2020/11/11/covid-19-high-frequency-monitoring-dashboard. Accessed 7 Jan 2022
Yip, O. A., Mah, N. D., & Barber, B. L. (2020). Revealing hidden energy poverty in Hong Kong: A multi-dimensional framework for examining and understanding energy poverty. Local Environment, 4, 1–19.
Zhang, D., Li, J., & Han, P. (2019). A multidimensional measure of energy poverty in China and its impacts on health: An empirical study based on the China family panel studies. Energy Policy, 131, 72–81.
Zhang, Z., Shu, H., Yi, H., & Wang, X. (2021). Household multidimensional energy poverty and its impacts on physical and mental health. Energy Policy, 156, 112381.
Zhao, J., Jiang, Q., Dong, X., et al. (2021). Assessing energy poverty and its effect on CO2 emissions: The case of China. Energy Economics, 97, 105191.
Zhao, J., Dong, K., Dong, X., et al. (2022). How renewable energy alleviate energy poverty? A global analysis. Renewable Energy, 186, 299–311.
Acknowledgments
This chapter is supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 72104166) and Ministry of Education of China, Youth Foundation Project of Humanities and Social Sciences (Grant No. 19YJC790059).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2022 Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd.
About this entry
Cite this entry
Li, J. (2022). Policies to Alleviate Energy Poverty: From Fundamental Concepts to a Practical Framework in the New Era. In: Taghizadeh-Hesary, F., Zhang, D. (eds) The Handbook of Energy Policy. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-16-9680-0_8-1
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-16-9680-0_8-1
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Singapore
Print ISBN: 978-981-16-9680-0
Online ISBN: 978-981-16-9680-0
eBook Packages: Springer Reference Economics and FinanceReference Module Humanities and Social SciencesReference Module Business, Economics and Social Sciences