Source
doi:10.56578/cis130401 — original publication (opens in a new tab; the file is not redistributed)
Feeds: d01_renewable_energy_storage · d08_biotechnology_nature_based · d09_digital_intelligence_connectivity · i01_financial_economic_sufficiency · i06_resistance_external_shocks · i07_fulfilment_basic_needs
Summary
Bibliometric analysis and systematic review (PRISMA + MMAT) of 259 peer-reviewed studies on decentralized energy systems in rural communities, covering publications from 1979 to 2024. Examines which energy technologies have been implemented, research trends across four historical periods, and sustainability outcomes. Finds that bioenergy is the dominant technology in rural decentralized energy cases (36% of studies), followed by mixed renewable energy sources (29%), energy mix (18%), and solar (9%). Identifies microgrids, blockchain, and AI-driven optimization as the key emerging enablers — and high upfront costs, limited credit access, and weak maintenance capacity as the primary adoption barriers.
Key claims
Technology distribution across 259 rural decentralized energy cases
- Bioenergy (biomass, biogas, biofuel): 36% of cases — the most frequently implemented technology in rural decentralized energy systems across 45 years of literature. LIT_004
- Renewable energy sources (mixed solar/wind/hydro): 29%; energy mix (renewables + fossil): 18%; solar: 9%; others (hydropower, wind, conventional): 8%. LIT_004
- Bioenergy production scaled from 112 TWh globally in 2000 to an estimated 1,024 TWh by 2024 — nearly 10× growth over 24 years. LIT_004
Bioenergy pathways for rural communities
- Three primary thermochemical pathways for biomass energy: pyrolysis, gasification, and liquefaction — producing heat, electricity, biomethane, biohydrogen, methanol, and ethanol. LIT_004
- Biogas produced via anaerobic digestion from animal manure, aquatic algae, and agricultural residues (rice, wheat straw, cotton, millet, bagasse); households with biodigesters used 2.1–3.3 tons less fuelwood per year than equivalent households without. LIT_004
- Modern biomass CHP plants are cleaner, more efficient, and under certain conditions cost-competitive with utility grids and fossil boilers. LIT_004
Microgrids as universal architecture
- Microgrids are confirmed as the standard architecture for rural decentralized renewable energy — “any projects involved renewable energy for rural areas should decentralize its transmission networks.” LIT_004
- Decentralized power generation technologies are “more economically competitive and have created opportunities to manage infrastructure less hierarchically and more flexibly” than centralized systems. LIT_004
AI and digital technology as missing layer
- Traditional rural energy models have “the drawback of not considering digital technology and renewable energy” — identified as a structural gap in the existing literature. LIT_004
- AI-driven multi-energy coupling model for rural energy systems: integrates equipment capacity planning + operation scheduling optimization; improves speed of response and adaptability; supports green energy transition. LIT_004
- Multi-energy coupling model with digital optimization “rendered it more flexible to cope with the diversified energy sources and complex operational scheduling situations involved in rural energy systems.” LIT_004
Blockchain for decentralized energy trading
- Blockchain enables decentralized energy trading with traceability, fair payments, and a reputation scheme for prosumers — “reliable systems with security and profitability.” LIT_004
- Blockchain + microgrids identified as common factors across the literature: standard for decentralized system generation, storage, and distribution in rural energy projects from 2021 onward. LIT_004
Adoption barriers
- Primary barriers across rural decentralized energy adoption: high upfront costs, scarce credit, weak maintenance capacity — affordability and community capacity are the binding constraints, not technology availability. LIT_004
- Adoption limited by political, economic, and social barriers that technical literature tends to understate; inclusivity (women, indigenous populations, marginalised groups) essential for long-term sustainability. LIT_004
- Long-term sustainability requires: integrating decentralized systems into broader energy planning, strengthening local capacities, and building resilience to external shocks. LIT_004
Energy vulnerability and resilience
- COVID-19 pandemic and Russia-Ukraine war (2022) caused abrupt changes in energy demand, oil price fluctuations, supply chain disruptions, and energy security failures in centralized energy sectors. LIT_004
- Decentralized systems are proposed as both technical solutions and resilience drivers against energy supply disruption. LIT_004
Key thesis insights
- Bioenergy’s 36% dominance across rural energy case studies (1979–2024) provides bibliometric validation for prioritising D08 (biomass/biogas) alongside D01 (solar/wind/storage) in Neobiome design.
- The AI/digital gap finding validates D09 as a distinct enabling layer — not an optional feature of rural energy planning.
- Adoption barriers (cost, credit, maintenance) directly map to I01 and governance considerations for Neobiome community design.
Research targets
Documents to retrieve
- [RT_013] Domínguez et al. (2024) — IntiGIS-Local: GIS-based geospatial approach for rural electrification site assessment in isolated communities (Energies 17(15):3835, doi:10.3390/en17153835); spatial methodology directly applicable to Neobiome site selection. → D09, D01
- [RT_026] Robinson et al. (2023) — smart monitoring of household-scale biogas plants in Kenya; biogas fuelwood savings 2.1–3.3 tons/year per household (Energy Res. Soc. Sci. 98:103007). → D02
- [RT_027] Robin & Ehimen (2024) — decentralised biogas plants in sub-Saharan Africa; techno-economic assessment (Sustain. Energy Res. 11:8). → D02 · RESOLVED → LIT_076
- [RT_040] Nedjalkov et al. (2019) — second-life lithium battery systems for rural stand-alone power (Materials 12(16):2642). → D01
Connections
Links to
EDT domains (3): D01: Renewable Energy & Storage Systems · D08: Biotechnology & Nature-Based Solutions · D09: Digital Intelligence & Connectivity
SSI indicators (3): I01: Financial & Economic Self-Sufficiency · I06: Resistance to External Shocks · I07: Fulfilment of Basic Needs
Sources (1): LIT_076
Referenced by
EDT domains (3): D01: Renewable Energy & Storage Systems · D08: Biotechnology & Nature-Based Solutions · D09: Digital Intelligence & Connectivity
SSI indicators (2): I06: Resistance to External Shocks · I07: Fulfilment of Basic Needs
Sources (1): LIT_076