Village and Development

Village and Development

Spatio-Temporal Distribution of Energy Poverty of Rural Households in Iran

Document Type : Original Article

Authors
A. Sarvmand 1
M.H. Tarazkar 2
1 MSc Student of Agricultural Economics, Department of Agricultural Economics, Shiraz University, Shiraz, Iran
2 Associate Professor of Agricultural Economics, Department of Agricultural Economics, Shiraz University, Shiraz, Iran.
10.30490/rvt.2025.365270.1584
Abstract
Abstract
Introduction
Poverty has various dimensions and can be defined and divided according to each of these. The most important aspect of poverty that has been emphasized so far is income poverty. However, due to the shortcomings of income-based measurement criteria in assessing the various dimensions of poverty, efforts have been made to define non-income dimensions, such as energy poverty indicators and other criteria. Energy poverty has emerged as a subcategory of poverty, with various indicators examined based on each country's specific context. Energy poverty, as a multidimensional concept, encompasses various aspects of access to energy, usage, and inequality, and different indicators have also been analyzed according to the structure of each country. The investigation of energy poverty status in different countries indicates that the distribution of poverty varies due to diverse economic, social, cultural, and other conditions. Given the lack of studies on energy poverty in Iran and the novelty of the issue, the main goal of the present study is to evaluate and analyze the spatio-temporal aspects of energy poverty in rural areas of Iran, broken down by province. It is worth mentioning that this study, as the first domestic research, not only examined various indicators of energy poverty in the country but also created a spatio-temporal map of energy poverty.
Materials and Methods
In this study, various indicators of energy poverty were used, including the 10 percent index, Low Income High Cost (LIHC) index, 2M index, and the relative 2M index. The relative index, inspired by the 2M index, was designed as one of the innovations of this research and was calculated for rural areas in Iran over the years. Additionally, a spatio-temporal map of rural households' energy poverty was created in different years. The data required for the years 2001, 2011 and 2021 were collected from the income and expenditure data of the Statistical Center of Iran.
Results and Discussion
The results of the study showed that with an increase in income, energy poverty decreases in urban areas. The results also indicate a decrease in energy poverty in most rural areas in 2021 compared to the years 2011 and 2001. However, in the rural areas of Sistan and Baluchestan, Khuzestan, Hormozgan, and Fars, the number of households facing energy poverty has increased. For instance, the rural areas of Khuzestan Province have experienced the highest rise in energy poverty, with the percentage of poor households increasing from 2.89% in 2001 to 7.82% in 2021. Similarly, the percentage of rural households facing energy poverty in Sistan and Baluchestan Province has also climbed from 9.95% in 2001 to 13.37% in 2021.
Conclusions
The study highlights that energy poverty is a subcategory of poverty, affecting many households in rural areas of Iran. Compared to the years 2001 and 2011, the study's results show a decrease in energy poverty in most rural areas of Iran in 2021. However, the study also reveals that some provinces are still grappling with increasing energy poverty rates. Therefore, energy poverty in these provinces must be examined more closely. Consequently, policymakers in the energy sector should concentrate on targeted interventions to reduce energy poverty in these areas. Some proposed solutions include improving access to energy infrastructure, increasing financial assistance, and enhancing energy efficiency in the rural areas of these provinces. Additionally, the study's results highlight the development of renewable energy resources such as solar and wind energy, which can help alleviate energy poverty in rural regions of Iran.
Keywords
Energy Poverty
Rural Households
Spatio-Temporal

Subjects

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