Project planning focuses on one or more specific aspects, while macro-level planning is less detailed, but covers a longer time span and considers more sectors and processes. In the following planning refers to macro-level planning. Past wood energy interventions mainly occurred at project level, e.g. in community forestry and improved cookstoves programs. In most Asian countries, wood energy analysis and planning at macro-level is not conducted for formulating national policies. Wood energy interventions are generally implemented ad-hoc, and they are largely based on misconceptions , e.g. woodfuel use is phasing out, all woodfuels come from forests, woodfuel use leads to deforestation, and wood energy problems are the same everywhere.
Interventions can be demand oriented, supply oriented or a combination of both.
Energy planning is not a one-time exercise, but a continuous and iterative process. Results are continuously reviewed and new information leads to new analyses. Steps in the planning process are data base development, demand analysis, supply analysis, supply-demand balancing, the assessment of economic, social and environmental impacts, and policy analysis. Often, computer models are used during the analysis. Wood energy planning requires data both on wood energy consumption, e.g. patterns of household and industrial energy use, and wood supply, i.e. wood resources, their productivity and accessibility, and patterns of woodfuel distribution.