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Energy issues in the small-scale industry sector in Dakar
[top] [end]IntroductionUntil now, research work on the problem of transition from wood-fuels to more modern fuels in the Dakar region has basically been focused on the household sector. This sector was perceived to be the one using most of the energy which would need to be supplied by modern fuels such as liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) or kerosene if the transition from biomass fuels was to occur. However, studies carried out in other African cities reveal that certain activities in the small-scale industry sector consume large amounts of energy. In effect, woodfuel consumption in Abidjan, in the restaurant business alone, is equivalent to one quarter of the energy consumed in the household sector.The small-scale industry sector, even though very similar to the household sector in terms of energy practices, is completely left out by African countries in most of their energy policies. A survey conducted on a dozen activities in the small-scale industry sector in Dakar throws light on the forms of energy and their uses in the sector. [top] [end]Characteristics of the small-scale industry sectorSmall-scale industry, which is often referred to as the 'informal sector', 'microenterprise' or 'urban popular economy', groups together a whole lot of activities in the urban area which are disparate as regards the nature of goods and services offered, the quantity and quality of human resources and technical equipment involved, the capital invested, and the ways in which the production activities functionSmall-scale industry offers a very wide range of goods and services to the majority of the population (Figure 1). It also engages the majority of the urban population. Differences in the type of equipment used, and techniques adopted, mean that some of the activities are described as 'traditional' and others as 'modern' with some in transition, as the country moves towards a modern economy. In reality, it is not easy to differentiate between which of the activities are modern and which are not. It is also not easy to predict the activities which ought to be dropped, and those which should serve as a basis for modern industrial development.
[top] [end]Forms of energy and their usesWith the exclusion of the transport sector, which needs mobile power, activities in the small-scale industry sector use fixed mechanical power and heat. Most activities use only one form of energy, but some use both at the same time, such as heat and mechanical power. The amount of energy used by some of these activities far exceeds the amount used in the household sector. In Dakar, the charcoal consumption of a mid-size restaurant (90kg a month) and that of a cheap small size restoration system (240kg a month) are respectively two to five times higher than that of a household (90kg a month). A 'tangana super' (coffee and/or tea vendors) uses almost the same amount of LPG (13.5 kg a month) as a household (Figure 2).
[top] [end]Activities demanding fixed mechanical powerIn numerous occupations, physical force is applied manually. When the force is not manual, it is supplied almost exclusively using an electric motor. There may also exist a few diesel or petrol engines in the city, but they are limited in number. Occupations in which electric machines are used include metal-workshops (door and window fittings), wood-workshops (joinery and carpentry), clothing and dress-making (tailors and dressmakers), shoe-repairing, decorative furnishing (tapestry-work) and food processing (using electric grinding mills).[top] [end]Activities demanding heatHeat is generally supplied by fuels such as firewood, charcoal or LPG, and exceptionally by electricity. The number of industries in which heat is needed are limited. Two main uses, cooking and smelting, have been identified, and a few specific uses are described. The heat used for cooking is the commonest, for it is needed in food preparation by various types of small and/or street restaurants. Energy is needed to heat water or other products in various other activities, notably for dyeing and/or shoe-making. In these instances it is generally woodfuels and/or LPG which are used. The exception, however, are bakeries, where gas or oil ovens are used as a result of a law which prohibits baking of bread with firewood in Dakar.Smelting and/or metalwork is done by blacksmiths, those who cast aluminium, and by jewellers. To melt a metal, a high furnace temperature is needed:
Strictly speaking, iron is not melted but forged at red heat. In all these activities charcoal is used for heating or melting metal (Figure 3). Moreover, metal-working is not done in furnaces but on open fireplaces.
Heat is also used in specific activities such as plastic coating, stumping (a technique used in shoe repair and bookbinding) vulcanisation and ironing. The source of energy used is specific in each use or occupation. Electrical energy is used for plastic coating/lamination, vulcanisation, whereas LPG and/or charcoal is used for stumping and ironing. Welding of metal is done either with a LPG blowlamp (as in jeweller manufacture), or with an oxyacetylene or electric blowlamp (in metal workshops). [top] [end]Energy sourcesActivities which require a fixed mechanical force generally use electricity to drive low-powered machines or power tools. However, there are artisans who use high power machines and they are entitled to buy electricity at special rates. On the other hand, industries needing heat are not generally confined to only a single source of energy unless there is a specific need (for instance firewood is used for drying/smoking fish), or a legal prescription prohibiting the use of a fuel (as in the case of bakers). Even for drying and smoking, fuels other than firewood can be used, provided they are not used indiscriminately. Most of the time, the choice of fuel is essentially linked to the type of technology used. There are some industries which combine the use of various fuels, mainly when food is being cooked but also for ironing clothes, tailors and launderers, who use charcoal and/or LPG. When the use of fuels can be substituted, the user's preferences may be explained by:
The energy used for these activities therefore depend on the possibility to acquire capital, on an adequate technological choice available in that society, the specific of use to which the energy will be put, and finally on the social and historic aspects of that person or activity. Depending on the main type of energy which he or she uses, the occupation of the small-scale entrepreneur may play a distinct role in the energy transition process. If the activities need a fixed mechanical force, the choice is either to use manual energy, or to use electrical energy, and for them there is no possibility for substitution. The choice is between using electricity or not using energy. On the other hand, the activities which need heat use all forms of energy and there is the possibility for choosing between wood and fossil fuels. Switching over, in some cases, involves acquisition of new equipment, and this will consequently increase the quantity of energy consumed and may ultimately modify the characteristics of the use itself. [top] [end]Contents: Boiling Point 41: Household energy: the urban dimension
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Page created:
01 August 2007; Last edited:
01 August 2007; Version: 0 | ||||||||||||||
Pagename: EnergyIssuesInTheSmall-scaleIndustrySectorInDakar @HEDON: CDGA | ||||||||||||||
