Making Stoves and Fixing Carbon

Making Stoves andFixing CarbonTrees, Water & PeoplePROLEÑAAprovecho Research Center

Trees, Water & PeopleTWP is a 501(c)(3)not-for-profitorganization thatimproves people’slives by helpingcommunities protect,conserve andmanage the naturalresources uponwhich their long-termwell-being depends.

PROLEÑAPROLEÑA is a Nicaraguannot-for-profit organizationthat promotes biomassbasedenergy technologiesand sustainable biomassproduction.

TWP in Latin America Has been working in Latin America since 1998 Has established reforestation and fuel-efficient stoveprojects in Central America, Mexico, Brazil, and Haiti Has produced and planted 1.6 million trees and builtmore than 23,000 fuel-efficient stoves

Two-Pronged Approach to Sustainable Energy& Forest ConservationCommunity reforestation to increase supply of treesFuel-efficient stoves to reduce the demand for trees

Fuelwood usage in Nicaragua• 50% of urban families use fuelwood for cooking, for atotal of over 120,000 families in the seven largest cities• 90% of rural families use fuelwood for cooking• 95% of fuelwood users use traditional open-fire stoves

Forest Replacement Associations (FRAs) FRAs are designed to create a local, sustainablesupply of fuelwood for commercial and domesticconsumers (e.g. brick makers, potters, limeproducers) By joining a FRA, local businesses contributemoney towards producing new tree seedlings inour local nurseries Seedlings are sold at a reduced price to localfarmers who harvest the trees within 3-5 years andsell them back to local commercial fuelwoodconsumers

FUNDANIC Project In 2007 the EU partnered with TWP and PROLEÑA fora project to produce 1 million trees over 4 years in FRAtree nurseries 500,000 trees produced in 2007, for a total of 256hectares (633 acres) planted

Micro-enterprise Stove Project Goals To produce quality stoves to reduce IAP,fuelwood consumption, and greenhouse gasemissions To disseminate the improved stoves to thehundreds of thousands of rural and urbanfamilies in Nicaragua still using traditionalstoves To create a self-sustaining micro-enterprise thatcan serve as a model for stove projects in othercountries

Project Methodology Central stove factory to produce and sellstoves Micro-enterprise model for sustainabledevelopment Sales to families and businesses thatcan afford full price Subsidies, layaway plans, or microcreditfor the working poor, especially tortillaand nacatamal producers/vendors

The EcoStoveA metal fuel-efficient stove developed by TWP,PROLEÑA, and Aprovecho

The EcoStoveTWP and PROLEÑA havebuilt over 8,000 EcoStovesin Nicaragua since 2000.Target Populations:• Urban Low IncomeFamilies• Urban Entrepreneurs(tortilla & nacatamalmakers)

EcoStove Models$97 $109$84$163

Benefits of the EcoStove• Reduces respiratoryproblems and other healthimpacts of Indoor AirPollution• Saves money on fuelwoodso businesses can be moreprofitable•Reduces deforestation andgreenhouse gas emissionsby consuming 30-50% lessfuelwood compared totraditional cook stoves

Study on EcoStove Greenhouse GasEmissions Reductions Kitchen Performance Test (KPT) conducted forClimate Care Ltd. by the consulting firmsAmbiental PV and ENASA Annual reduction in CO 2 emissions estimatedbased on the amount of fuelwood used bytortilla and nacatamal (tamale) producersusing EcoStoves vs. traditional stoves

Study Results – KitchenPerformance Test (KPT)Stove model Food designed forTonnes CO 2avoided/yr/stoveEcoFogon Tortillas 4.9EcoBarril Nacatamales 1.1

Analysis of Study Results EcoFogon users showed great variation in fuelwoodusage based on tortilla production. Tortilla producerswith greater output from working all day long did notwaste energy bringing the thermal mass of the stove upto temperature three times a day, so they used lessfuelwood per gram of dough cooked. Both models tested have deviated somewhat from LarryWiniarski’s stove design principles, making themappropriate only for larger commercial producers. For smaller commercial producers and domestic users, astove consistent with stove design principles (e.g. theHonduran EcoFogon) would be more appropriate.

Monitoring Stove longevity will be monitored to determine howmany years of emissions reductions can be credited Students from Colorado State University (CSU) and theNational University of Nicaragua (UNAN) are planning astudy to measure IAP emissions and health of womenand children before and after switching from traditionalstoves to EcoStoves

Challenges and Solutions Metal prices have risen dramatically, raising cost of stoves- Seek higher volumes to lower metal prices EcoStoves now too expensive for the poor- Offer installment plans and layaway payment options- Offer micro-credit via FINCA, FAMA (Foundation forMicro-enterprise Support), FDL (Fund for LocalDevelopment), FODEM (Fund for Women’s Development)- Provide 30% subsidy with support from Rotary Clubsand TWP for working poor- Seek other international and national NGOs andgovernment agencies as purchasers

Conclusions Need more advanced stove production methods toreach the hundreds of thousand of families who needimproved stoves in Nicaragua Micro-credit is a key component to make stovesaffordable for the majority of families in Nicaragua More linkages with government agencies, other nonprofitgroups, and private sector to raise awareness ondangers of indoor air pollution to women and children More research, development, and funding needed tolower production costs, improve fuel efficiency, anddisseminate stoves more widely

Funded by Rotary Clubs and Rotary International Trees, Water & People Ashden Award/Climate Care/PioneerCarbon European Union (reforestation project) Carbon Clear (kiln project)

Contact InformationMarlyng BuitragoPROLEÑAVilla Arlen SiuStuart ConwayTrees, Water & People633 Remington St.Fort Collins, CO 80524stuart@treeswaterpeople.orgwww.treeswaterpeople.org970-484-3678Del nuevo PALI las Americas 75 varas al surManagua, Nicaraguambprolena@hotmail.comwww.prolenaecofogon.org011-505-280-6406, 505-883-4144