Abstract:

The use of biomass briquettes as an alternative source of renewable energy is a recent development in an effort to address growing energy demand in developing countries in general and Uganda in particular. The study aims to assess local perceptions regarding briquettes use and the effectiveness of briquettes as an alternative source of fuel in Kampala district. We collected data from companies and institutions on selected socio-economic factors that promoted the popularity and use of briquettes. Data was analyzed for mean frequencies, chi-square tests and cross tabulations. Results show that briquettes use was growing in popularity. However, its local use had weak association with level of education (r =0.403) but statistically significant at P<0.05. This level of significance showed that education was important in explaining the likelihood of consuming briquettes as a clean source of energy. The study concluded that Briquettes have a great potential to be used to replace or supplement the current energy sources being used for household energy especially for cooking. It was recommended that Briquettes form a viable source of alternative energy for companies and institutions. The Country lies among the high agricultural potential areas with high population densities and as a result, there is reduced land acreage to plant trees for wood fuel production.