ABSTRACT
This chapter outlines one approach to energy planning and forecasting and discusses its applicability to the less developed countries of the world. The approach consists mainly of the construction of a complete energy balance for the country under consideration; appraisal of the influence of various physical, economic and institutional factors upon this balance; and application of the understandings thereby gained to the problems of planning and forecasting. The energy balance is a device that has proven particularly useful in the collection and organization of data on the physical aspects of the energy economy. It should be noted that draft cattle provide nearly as much power as all other sources of energy combined, and non-commercial fuels, such as firewood and dung, more heat than all other sources of energy combined. Forecasts of national product provide a basis for estimating future needs and supplies of energy, but only on the basis of the historical relationship of energy to national product.
