Development of the Energy Balance Table for Rural and Urban Households in Pakistan: The Implications of Energy Transition

Abstract

This study aims to analyze energy consumption patterns and the transition to clean energy in rural and urban households in Pakistan. Using a bottom-up approach, this study develops a detailed residential end-use energy balance table (EBT) disaggregated by energy source and service type for 2020 for rural and urban households. This approach is valuable for understanding end-use residential energy consumption patterns and the emission inventory of GHG and air pollutants under a data-constrained environment. We assess household per capita energy consumption (PEC) and its relationship with socioeconomic characteristics such as GDP, household size, and urbanization. Using the detailed EBT, the emission inventory of greenhouse gases (GHGs) and air pollutants is analyzed. We reveal inequality and disparity in energy consumption between rural and urban areas. The PEC in rural areas is 1.38 times higher than in urban areas. PEC of electricity, natural gas, and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) in urban areas is higher. In rural areas, the quantity and share of firewood and biomass fuels are higher, and cooking is 87 % of total energy consumption. We find that per capita income and urbanization are major parameters for energy demand and transition. The per capita GHG emissions are 2.29 times higher in urban areas, but air pollutants such as Black carbon and Sulphur dioxide are 3.61 and 1.4 times higher in rural areas, respectively. This implies that by energy transition, indoor air pollutants could be reduced; however, decarbonization in the power sector is required for a drastic reduction in GHG emissions.