ABSTRACT
The notion of poverty is multidimensional. It is associated with numerous interrelated deprivations – lack of access to adequate levels of income, food, water, clothing, shelter, sanitation, health care and education. Although a defi nition of poverty normally does not directly include energy as a component, access to good quality energy sources is a critical determinant of the various dimensions of poverty. In accordance with Sen’s capability framework, energy carriers can be perceived as commodities that outline an individual’s capability set and thus facilitate his functioning in society (Andreas 2006). At the most fundamental level, energy delivers cooked food, clean water, health, space conditioning, and education services.
