ABSTRACT
Energy security (ES) is a concept that accounts for nation's ability to successfully meet their energy needs. This chapter aims to provide an overview on global ES and explore opportunities associated with sugarcane, particularly in developing nations. Energy poverty (EP) complements the national approach of ES as EP focuses on household access to electricity and clean cooking fuels. EP is a serious obstacle to the creation of opportunities for economic growth and a real threat to health and well-being in several countries, particularly for low-income families. The chapter evaluates the potential for sugarcane to improve Latin America and the Caribbean (LA&C) and sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) ES, as well as reduce EP. The energy scenario of Central and South America is quite different from that of SSA. Central and South America have achieved 97% of electricity access, with several countries already at full universal access and only three with less than 94% access.
