Full Title: Unclean but Affordable Solid Fuels Effectively Sustained Household Energy Equity
Author(s): Ke Jiang, Ran Xing, Zhihan Luo, Yaojie Li, Jinghang Wang, Wenxiao Zhang, Yaqi Zhu, Yatai Men, Guofeng Shen, and Shu Tao
Publisher(s): Nature Communications
Publication Date: November 11, 2024
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Description (excerpt):
Extensive use of traditional solid fuels necessitates a clean transition to modern energy, yet rising costs hinder equitable progress, presenting a challenge that remains underexplored. Here the authors quantify household energy inequities in China and evaluate shifts during the cooking and heating transition by compiling data from nationwide questionnaire surveys and statistic datasets. The authors find that by meeting 42.6% of household energy needs at low costs, solid fuels sustain equitable energy consumption across different income groups, being measured by the Concentration Index (CI). However, energy burden inequity remains substantially with the CI value increases by up to 43% during the transition, particularly when moving away from biomass for cooking. Switching to electric heating with natural gas cooking would limit such increases by only 15.5%. The study underscores the negative equity impacts of solid fuel cessation, advocating for phased transitions and targeted subsidies to ensure a just clean energy transition.