Publications
The enterprise development toolkit - Supporting clean cooking enterprises on their journey to scale
2014
This toolkit is an initiative of the Global Alliance for Clean Cookstoves, a public-private partnership with a mission to save lives, improve livelihoods, empower women, and protect the environment by creating a thriving global market for clean cooking solutions.
Biomass energy sector planning guide
2014
This Guide describes a methodology consisting of a preparation stage and six subsequent stages for restructuring biomass governance, each stage, consisting of several steps and having its own objectives and output. The scope of this guide is limited to solid biomass for energy purposes.
The national bioenergy investment model - Technical documentation
2012
The National Bioenergy Investment Model is a scenario model that simulates the decisions of domestic and international investors on whether to invest in biofuel enterprises in a developing country.
WISDOM Darfur - Land Cover mapping and WISDOM analysis for emergency and rehabilitation planning in Darfur
2011
This study provides the policy makers, emergency and rehabilitation operators, project managers and technical personnel with a comprehensive and spatially-explicit view on the use and potential productivity of woody biomass in Darfur, with special attention to Internally Displaced Populations (IDP).
Improved methods for carbon accounting for bioenergy
2011
The report describes and evaluates various bioenergy accounting systems that could be used in nations with GHG-limitation obligations. In this report, the systems are classified into 3 basic approaches.
WISDOM Rwanda - Spatial analysis of woodfuel production and consumption in Rwanda applying the WISDOM methodology
2011
With a population of almost 9 million and an accessible territory of only 2.1 million hectares, Rwanda is striving to meet its food and fuel requirements in a crowded landscape (less than ¼ hectare per capita). The Government of Rwanda intends to meet future energy needs of its population through careful planning and policies that will satisfy wood energy demand.
What woodfuels can do to mitigate climate change - FAO Forestry Paper 162
2010
This publication explores the scope, potential and implications for using woodfuels to replace fossil fuels and thereby contribute to climate change mitigation. It analyses the current woodfuel offset mechanisms in place and their relative emission reduction potentials.
Criteria and indicators for sustainable woodfuels
2010
Reliable, secure and safe energy sources are fundamental to the well-being and social and economic development of all societies. With growing pressure on energy resources and a heavy dependence on non-renewable fossil fuels, the world faces two key energy-related problems: the lack of a secure and affordable supply, and the threat of overconsumption leading to irreversible environmental damage.
Wood energy for Europe: status and outlook
2010
This paper informs delegates attending the 35th Session of the European Forestry Commission (EFC) about the current status and potential future development of wood energy in the region and offers some possible guiding principles.
Bioenergy and food security - The BEFS Analysis for Peru. Supporting the policy machinery in Peru
2010
This report presents the policy implications and considerations for rural development arising from the technical results generated in the implementation of the BEFS Analytical Framework in Peru. The policy work identifies key issues in rural development and bioenergy.
Woodfuels and climate change mitigation - Case studies from Brazil, India and Mexico
2010
Bioenergy is a here-and-now option that could allow the world to “decarbonize” the global economy before massive investments lock it into a trend of rising emissions. Bioenergy has the potential to shift the geography of international energy markets and challenge the petroleum economy. The world is firmly engaged on a trajectory of increased greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions that, if left unaltered, will trigger massive disruptions in the global climate system.
-building-capacities-for-sustainable-bioenergy.jpg?sfvrsn=4fcdeb07_1 "PROCEEDINGS - Expert Consultation: WISDOM - Evaluation of current status, and Seminar (on) Building Capacities for Sustainable Bioenergy")
PROCEEDINGS - Expert Consultation: WISDOM - Evaluation of current status, and Seminar (on) Building Capacities for Sustainable Bioenergy.
2009
The WISDOM methodology has been widely applied over a decade in many countries and in many regions with the financial support from the FAO’s Technical Cooperation Programme (TCP). As such, FAO deemed it necessary to undertake a stocktaking exercise of these experiences. The main aim was to evaluate the extent to which WISDOM has facilitated meeting the WEP objectives of creating national and international capacity to address major issues related to wood energy and bioenergy.
Forests and energy - Balancing risks and opportunities. Agenda item 8b. Participation in the XIII World Forestry Congress
2009
Interest in bioenergy has increased over the last decade, due to factors such as: high oil prices; concerns about energy security; and commitments to reduce carbon emissions. The use of wood for energy is an important component of the bioenergy sector and includes both the use of wood for heat and power production as well as the use of wood to produce liquid biofuels.
Small scale bioenergy initiatives - Brief description and preliminary lessons on livelihood impacts from case studies in Asia, Latin America and Africa
2009
This study was conducted between September and November 2008 under a joint initiative of FAO and the Policy Innovations Systems for Clean Energy Security (PISCES) Energy Research Programme Consortium funded by DFID. The focus of the study was on the impacts that different types of local level Bioenergy initiatives can have on Rural Livelihoods in different contexts in the developing world.
Criteria and indicators for sustainable woodfuels - Case studies from Brazil, Guyana, Nepal, Philippines and Tanzania
2009
There is a general concern that increased woodfuel use may cause additional pressure of already dwindling supply sources leading to additional deforestation and devegetation. As such, standards for sustainable management of different supply sources of fuelwood and charcoal are needed to ensure renewable woodfuel production and uses.
Forests and energy
2008
Soaring energy consumption and fossil fuel prices, increasing greenhouse gas emissions and concerns over energy import dependence are driving the search for alternatives to fossil fuels for energy production. Biofuels currently constitute the largest source of renewable energy produced on earth.
WISDOM for Cities - Analysis of wood energy and urbanization using WISDOM methodology
2008
This study reviews the nexus between rapid urbanization processes, poverty and woodfuel consumption trends in the urban and peri-urban areas of developing countries. It examines the environmental and socio-economic changes induced by rapid urban growth, such as the increase in charcoal consumption, and proposes conceptual and methodological tools to support urban wood energy planning and the establishment of sustainable wood energy systems.
Forests and energy regional perspectives: opportunities and challenges for forests and forestry
2008
Wood is increasingly used for energy. High fossil fuel prices together with new energy and environmental policies are making woodfuel an attractive component of energy policy for the reduction of fossil fuels use, improved energy security, and reduced greenhouse gases emissions.