Assessing energy consumption patterns and biowaste generation in southern Ethiopian hotels and universities: towards sustainable energy solutions

The growing hotel and education sectors in Ethiopia face increasing waste and energy demands, necessitating effective waste management and energy use strategies. This study is aimed to investigates biowaste production and energy consumption in hotels and university campuses in Southern Ethiopia, focusing on sustainable solutions for reducing environmental impacts. A mixed-methods approach, including surveys and onsite measurements, were used to assess energy consumption, biowaste generation, and management practices. A stratified purposive sampling was employed to select institutions, and both descriptive and inferential statistics, including time series analysis, multiple regression models, were applied; the environmental footprint of energy sources and energy potentials of biowastes were quantified following the guidelines set by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).The study found that the primary energy sources for both sectors are electricity, natural gas/LPG, diesel fuel, fuelwood, and charcoal, with electricity being the dominant source. Hotels exhibit a consistent increase in energy consumption from 2016 to 2023, driven by tourism and service expansion, while university campuses show more fluctuating trends influenced by student enrollment and policy changes. Both sectors generate substantial biowaste annually—over 588 tons from hotels and 1448 tons from campuses—comprising food, fruit, vegetable and animal waste. However, waste management practices are often inadequate, with open dumping being common and the lack of energy recovery or treatment systems. The study quantified the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, found that non-electric energy sources such as oil fuels and firewood contribute significantly to CO2 emissions. In 2023, oil fuels accounted for 15,474.2 tonnes of CO2e, and firewood generated 130,377.2 tonnes CO2e, highlighting the need for cleaner energy alternatives to reduce emissions and reliance on carbon intensive energy sources.