Towards energy conservation: Jiko revolution saving Kenya’s forests

This month, the world’s attention will be focused on Paris during the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change - UNFCCC COP 21. The Paris meet is critical because the world is hoping that important instruments will be created to legally bind nations toward maintaining a 20C global warming. Such would be a bold step that strongly demonstrates commitment towards curbing the mad rise of global warming and its attendant effects on climate, culture and food security, among others.

And while the crème de la crème of the global politics, scholars, policy makers, financiers, industrialists hit the city of many lights, here in Kenya small and sure steps are working magic towards curbing emissions, protecting forest cover and giving households, especially girls and women some dignity.

There is a revolution shaping up in many kitchens of rural and peri-urban households. This is the increasing adoption of clean energy jikos that are cheap to maintain and friendly to the environment.

Research shows that biomass provides for more than 80 per cent of overall household energy needs in Kenya. Further, research carried out by GVEP International indicates there are approximately 0.7 million households using biomass for cooking in urban areas as well.

The main sources of biomass include charcoal, wood-fuel and agricultural waste. The cooking devices used by the majority of households have poor thermal efficiency and serious health impacts due to incomplete combustion.

Further, in the same research, the use of biomass with basic cooking devices combined with unsuitable cooking spaces is the main cause of Indoor Air Pollution (IAP) in Kenya, estimated to cause deaths of 14,300 people annually.

The current charcoal jiko or the three-stone hearth has poor thermal efficiency. The inefficient heating is responsible for emission of noxious gasses to man and environment.

Our old ways of heating at home pose danger to the environment. Charcoal and wood for instance, is notorious for depleting forest cover. Yet, we all need forests as crucial natural carbon sink facilities.

It is impressive that lately, diverse efforts are being put forward to deal with charcoal and other pollutants. Different organisations such as the Ministry of Energy & Petroleum Department of Renewable Energy, SNV Netherlands Development Organisation among others are leading the pack in redefining energy and its consumption.

That is why it is exciting to see households embracing improved and friendly technologies. Everyday we meet women and girls whose desire is to see a break from the charcoal or firewood jiko.

And everyday, we are glad to provide solutions to the deep-seated desire. The beauty is that, in our encounters, households are willing to partner in this energy transformation. By partnership we mean gone are the days when communities expected hand-outs from either governments or NGOs. Today, our model is community empowerment, knowledge transfer and organising the communities in groups and societies such that they can access soft credit facilities.

Improved jikos are now hitting the market. The Ministry of Energy is working on one and so is the Kenya Industrial Research Development Institute. These jikos have minimum emissions and use minimum heat for maximum output.

There are others called gasfiers. These ones use wood pellets. The wood pellets are made from sawdust – a solid waste material which is a headache to saw millers. The gasfiers have total combustion of the matter such that no energy is wasted.

It is probably what the doctor prescribed. Due to forced air into the combustion chamber at the bottom and top, intense heat is created that vaporises the fuels and eliminates smoke.

This means that CO2 and smoke emissions are reduced by 90 per cent. Then, the heat is contained in the high-tech ceramic materials located in the body of the stove. This way you need a small amount of fuel, cutting costs by 50 to 70 per cent.

Now, with this kind of gasfiers, it is small wonder there is a jiko revolution in the countryside and peri-urban areas. And interestingly, the rise of the gasfier is also opening doors for the entrepreneurs - complete with an emerging cottage industry in production of pellets.

For credit facilities, micro-credit finance institutions are coming in handy to support groups and individuals.

In this model, women groups and cooperatives access this facility, which is paid within one year with a monthly repayment of Sh1,000. These emerging energy regimes are offering safety to our girls and women.

The writer is an ICS & Fuel Adoption Project Advisor at SNV Netherlands Development Organisation