Unclean but affordable solid fuels effectively sustained household energy equity

• Published in: Nature communications 2024-11, Vol.15 (1), p.9761-13, Article 9761
• Main Authors: Jiang, Ke, Xing, Ran, Luo, Zhihan, Li, Yaojie, Wang, Jinghang, Zhang, Wenxiao, Zhu, Yaqi, Men, Yatai, Shen, Guofeng, Tao, Shu
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: 704/844/4066; 706/134; 706/4066/4074; Biomass energy production; Clean energy; Cooking; Electric heating; Energy consumption; Energy costs; Fuel consumption; Fuels; Heating; Households; Humanities and Social Sciences; multidisciplinary; Natural gas; Residential energy; Science; Science (multidisciplinary); Solid fuels
• ISSN: 2041-1723; 2041-1723
• DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-54166-5

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 we 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. We 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. The study finds that low-cost solid fuels currently meet a large share of household energy needs, promoting equity in energy consumption, suggesting that clean transition could significantly increase energy burden inequity across income groups.