Energy Consumption Reduction Strategies in Developing Countries

The main energy sources in the world are limited and not renewable. This fact has urged all countries to draw plans to optimize their energy consumption. Developed countries, in particular, and after the 1973 Arab countries oil embargo to the west, started these programs and were able to considerably decrease the energy intensity, specially, in the industrial sector in the last three decades. Developing countries, on the other hand, usually, have only started this program within the last 15 years. The progress of these countries is not the same and has produced different results. They localized developed countries plans to match their cultural, industrial, legislative, and government policies and practices. Some of these countries have vast energy resources, including oil and gas reservoirs, which substantially affect their plans and the degree of their success in fulfilling energy consumption optimization. Iran, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, China and Russia are among these countries. In this research, the strategies of developing countries to decrease their energy consumption, including the above mentioned countries, and South Korea, Turkey and India are investigated. As a reference, the corresponding strategies and performance of USA, Japan and UK are also included. Based on the economy and energy intensity positions of these countries, they are divided into three groups and policies and managerial, technical and cultural strategies, along with their main approaches of these three groups are discussed. Their achievements are investigated and suggestions for a better performance are presented.