Research on the Energy Utilization Structure of Rural Residence in Hunan Province, China

Abstract

The purposes of this study are to look into the actuality of rural residential energy consumption in Hunan province, China, to improve energy utilization structure, and to protect the environment. An investigation on rural residential energy consumption was carried out in the villages of Xintian and Jiangwan from March to May 2005. Common energy is used in Xintian while marsh gas is popularized in Jiangwan. A questionnaire survey covered basic information of residences in the two villages, and energy consumption of each family was also tracked continuously. In this paper, the energy utilization structures of the two villages are contrasted. Sequentially, the economic and environmental benefits are assessed when marsh gas substitutes biomass energy. The conclusions are summarized as follows: a complicated energy structure is still dominant, where biomass energy accounts for a significant proportion and manifold energies exist simultaneously; and consumption of the energy is high. Nevertheless the usage of marsh gas makes a great contribution in optimizing energy consumption structure, which could reduce energy consumption and domestic costs, discharge less harmful gases and keep the ecosystem in balance. The comparison between common energy and ecotype energy provides instructions for the future development of rural residential energy consumption.