Improved Cookstoves (General News)

14/11/11

IMPROVED COOKSTOVES (General News)

STORY: Zoe Darling

Envirofit, in conjunction with the Centre for Energy, Environment and Sustainable Development (CEESD) has committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions, deforestation and Indoor Air Pollution  through the distribution of efficient charcoal and firewood cookstoves in Ghana.

The project, which aims to distribute 12,000 charcoal cookstoves by January next year, seeks to reduce charcoal use through improvement in combustion efficiency of up to forty per cent and reduction in biomass fuel consumption by sixty per cent compared to traditional cookstoves used in Ghana.

The CEO of Envirofit Ron Bills, speaking at a stakeholders meeting in Accra on Monday, said that this would reduce the tonnage of charcoal used, reduce pressure on forest resources and reduce emissions from the use of charcoal.

He noted that poor wood combustion kills more than two million people every year, and it was a particular concern in Africa because of high population growth.

He said the use of the improved cookstoves therefore aimed to address the issue of acute respiratory infections (ARIs), especially among women and children, by reducing Indoor Air Pollution.

Mr Bills said Envirofit was pleased with the success of the recent distribution of charcoal cookstoves in Kenya and the consequent opportunities for employment in manufacturing in the country.

“We’d like to do the same thing in Ghana,” he said.

300,000 of the Envirofit cookstoves have already been sold in 40 different countries around the globe, resulting in 1.5 million people breathing healthier air and spending less time and money cooking, as well as a decreased demand on forests and reduced greenhouse gas emissions.

At the meeting, stakeholders expressed concern over the plans to only distribute the cookstoves in two districts in the Ashanti Region - Ejisu-Juaben, Asanti Akim North, and Bosomtwe.

The price of the stove was also a concern, but according to Vice President of Engineering for Envirofit Nathan Lorenz, the reduced cost of expenditure on charcoal could also save beneficiary households GHC75 every year.

He said the Envirofit stoves were built to be clean, efficient, durable and affordable, as this was important for the market.

Envirofit and CEESD are taking advantage of the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM), an arrangement under the Kyoto Protocol that binds developed countries to promote investment in developing countries in projects that reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Under the arrangement, carbon revenues are raised through the CDM.

The carbon revenues provides a subsidy, so Envirofit is able to sell the stoves at a reduced price to consumers.

This programme fits into the Government’s Better Ghana Agenda.