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GTZ News (February 2009) edited by Lisa Feldmann and Agnes Klingshirn
[top] [end]Good prospects for clay stoves in Malawi – Impact Assessment shows benefitsIn March 2008 a household survey was conducted in Malawi to assess the impacts of the dissemination of improved portable clay stoves. The production of these stoves, called Chitetezo Mbaula, is promoted within the Programme for Basic Energy and Conservation (ProBEC). The survey covered 327 households in six villages in Mulanje, Thyolo and Ntcheu districts, with stove producers also being interviewed to gather information about their businesses. The two Mulanje villages were already surveyed in 2004 and an analysis of the results shows that the adoption rate rose by a factor of three since the previous impact assessment.The adoption of the fuel saving stove can be considered as a long term transition that leads to the eventual phasing out of the traditional three stone fire. This is reflected in the Mulanje villages, the initial site of stove promotion, where only 10% of Chitetezo Mbaula owners also used a three stone fire on a daily basis. In the Thyolo and Ntcheu villages, where stove promotion only began in late 2007, this level was at 37% and 25% respectively. In general, the Chitetezo Mbaula serves the same functions as the three stone fire. It was observed that the majority of users were operating the stove correctly and in over 85% of households cooking did not lead to noticeable smoke emissions. A comparison between the households that mainly used the three stone fire and those that used the Chitetezo Mbaula, showed that the improved stoves saved 43 to 50% of the time spent on firewood collection. For those in the ‘stove business’ this was only a part-time activity, but with the potential for scaling-up. Nevertheless, it was the most important household income for 30% of interviewed producers and the second most important for 35%. The prospects for sustainability are good as users appreciate the benefits of the stove and replace them when damaged. Most of the producer groups had established continuous production and adopted adequate marketing and promotional skills, which makes it highly likely that their businesses can continue without further support. The study is available at the Probec website, via the @HEDON link below.
[top] [end]Household energy efficiency in TajikistanThe GTZ programme Convention to Combat Desertification (CCD) and its regional programme in Central Asia are now starting to adapt and disseminate improved stoves in the Pamir region of Tajikistan. The GTZ/DED project “Sustainable Management of Natural Resources in Gorno-Badakhshan (Tajikistan)” will put a focus on the adaptation and dissemination of energy efficient technologies in the Pamir Mountains. It is part of the Regional Project to Support the Implementation of the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UN CCD) in Central Asia.People in the Pamir region are increasingly suffering from a severe energy crisis. With the break down of the Soviet Empire, free of charge delivery of coal for all households in the region ceased and people now depend almost entirely on using scarce wood and manure as a substitute to coal. In the Western Pamirs the most important fuel is firewood from the degraded Riperian forests. In the Eastern Pamirs it is Teresken and dung, the former being a semi-shrub that helps prevent the erosion of pasture land in this yak and sheep rearing region. The project will focus on simple and affordable thermal-insulation measures in private houses, efficient adapted cooking stoves, heat exchangers for existing inefficient metal box ovens and locally producible solar water heaters. Aimed at a sustainable introduction and dissemination of energy efficient technologies, the project follows a market driven approach. Consequently the following elements will be supported:
[top] [end]Improved stoves for heating and cooking in MongoliaIn Mongolia, stoves provide the basis for survival and comfort during the harsh nine month long winter, where temperatures can drop to as low as minus 40°C. So the heating function, and consequently the heat storage capacity of a stove, becomes extremely relevant.In Ulaanbaatar, the capital of Mongolia, roughly 60% of the population lives in Ger districts which are typically not connected to the central electricity grid system (as well as heating and drinking/waste water systems). A Ger (or Yurt) is a traditional dwelling place in Mongolia, developed to suit a nomadic way of life but which in urban areas does not always offer adequate living conditions. For cooking and heating purposes the Ger inhabitants use non-insulated metal stoves which have little heat storage capacity. The main household fuel is low quality Mongolian brown coal and so the emissions from traditional stoves, in addition to those from traffic and power plants, result in high levels of air pollution, especially during the winter months. GTZ’s ‘Integrated Urban Development, Construction Sector & VET Promotion Programme’ has therefore developed an energy-efficient stove with an increased heat storage capacity and reduced fuel consumption and emissions. Its heat storage capacity has been optimised by lining the combustion chamber with Chamotte (a fired clay produced locally from kaolin/china clay). The stove also has a secondary air supply, a design characteristic not previously known in Mongolia, and is ignited with wood and then loaded with brown coal. Test results show that the new stove consumes 0.70 kg of fuel per hour, compared to 1.35 kg in a traditional stove. Carbon monoxide emissions were more than halved.
[top] [end]In Focus: Household Energy - new ways to protect the climate and reduce povertyHow can we provide 2.5 billion people with clean cooking energy? What kind of contribution could this make to poverty alleviation and climate protection? And what solutions and successes already exist?These questions were discussed by 120 participants from about 30 development organisations from Germany, Austria, Switzerland and the Netherlands during a symposium last December, organised by GTZ’s household energy programme HERA in Bonn, Germany. Participants came from a wide range of organisations including the WHO, FAO, NGOs such as World Vision, consultancies and research institutions. “The objectives of the symposium were to intensify the exchange of information and experiences between German-speaking development organisations and to develop potential for future cooperation”, explained Marlis Kees from GTZ HERA. The discussions and experience exchanged through question and answer sessions focussed on carbon trading for household energy, alternatives to firewood such as biogas or plant oil, subsidies and micro-credits as well as successful monitoring approaches for dissemination strategies of improved cook stoves. Recommendations for further action were developed for both research and implementation organisations and for policy advisors. For example: reliable data collection of woodfuel prices; the mainstreaming of cooking energy into other areas such as nutrition, health, and agricultural services on the local level; and more research on sustainable charcoal production and existing distribution networks. Furthermore, a strong demand for French publications, manuals and information was expressed. “These three days were fantastic and they certainly will bring more attention to household energy matters in German speaking countries”, Eva Rehfuess from WHO says. [top] [end]New publication: Cooking Energy - Why it really matters if we are to halve poverty by 2015This flyer explains in ten points the relationship between cooking energy and achieving the MDGs. It is now available in Spanish. French and English and these versions can be dowloaded via the @HEDON link below.[top] [end]Report on Biomass Energy Consumption and Availability in South AfricaSouth Africa’s poor are concentrated in the woodlands of Limpopo, KwaZulu Natal, and the Eastern Cape. Over 80% of rural households in these regions depend on fuelwood as their primary source of energy, as a recent desk study prepared for the Programme for Basic Energy and Conservation (ProBEC) reveals. Sources of firewood are mainly natural woodlands (60%), trees outside forests (13%), commercial plantations (9%), and processed waste (9%). At a national and regional scale, the sustainable annual production of fuelwood is probably sufficient to meet annual demand. However, local shortages can and do arise due to over-harvesting and changes in land use.On the demand side, residential energy consumption accounts for some 18% of national energy demand. The total demand for fuelwood is estimated at 11.2 million tonnes per annum, which is equivalent to 40% of residential energy demand. The number of households that depend on fuelwood as their main energy source is estimated at 2.3 to 2.8 million, the majority of which are located in rural areas. This represents some 12 to 15 million people or 25 to 30% of the South African population. However, the analysis suggests that future demand will stabilise and eventually diminish due to lower population growth rates, HIV/AIDS and migration. Future research should be conducted on wood species that provide a low smoke fuel and that also offer other uses such as food security. On the demand side, the study concludes that improved wood stoves and solar cookers have not made great inroads into rural households. Therefore, application oriented research and pilot projects should be conducted on the most effective introduction of these appliances. It is stressed that particular attention should be paid to maintenance services for the appliances. The study is available on the Probec website, see the @HEDON link below. [top] [end]Second Regional Workshop of francophone projects[top] [end]September 23-26, Ouagadougou, Burkina FasoSix francophone GTZ-supported stove projects gathered to exchange experiences. The three countries that are currently receiving Dutch financial support reported considerable progress in the last year, and these experiences were feedback into the planning stages of other programmes. Lively discussions were complemented by the views of DGIS/Senternovem, GTZ head office and consultants, and they emphasised the importance of credible monitoring to support project achievements.Improvements to the mud single-pot rocket stove, invented by the Uganda project, which allows for air inflow from the side, were demonstrated and directly introduced. With regards to stove commercialization: encouraging examples are mostly found in urban contexts, for rural areas there are still more unanswered questions than actual solutions; long debates revolved around the pro’s and con’s of fixed versus portable stoves and their different dissemination approaches, material choices, and implications for quality control etc. With intervention costs depending greatly on population density, accessibility and rural purchasing power, the challenge is how to work towards sustainability in rural areas. Interesting field visits and great organisation contributed to making the event a real success. The participants underlined the value of exchange between francophone and anglophone experiences and requested for more translation of English literature, especially of hands-on guides.
[top] [end]@HEDON
[top] [end]Download the original article GTZ News edited by Lisa Feldmann and Agnes Klingshirn (325 KB)[top] [end]Contents: Boiling Point 56 - Liquid fuels in the household
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