Energy consumption: 80% of Malagasy households use firewood and its by-products

The majority of Malagasy population does not yet have access to electricity, with a rate of 15%. Instead, the population uses mostly firewood and its by-products to get energy, which represent about 80% of energy consumption in Madagascar. While being beneficial to the population, the use of wood to produce energy brings about dramatic impacts on the ecological and marine system of the country.

In an effort to remedy to that situation, the Malagasy government, along with WWF and Telma Foundation, has launched the project of distributing 800 000 low-energy consumption lamps, which will help reduce energy consumption to 18%, that is, 31 MW (Megawatts) for the electrical network of Antananarivo. By the same token, associations like “Jardin des lumieres” (garden of lights) feel concerned about the reduction of energy consumption. To this regard, it organizes every two years an event called “marche des lumieres” (march of lights) which consists in lighting up a whole city with solar lamps. Solar lamps are very efficient in the reduction of energy consumption in that they reduce at 100% households’ expenses in terms of electricity.