1 Solid Biofuels (Firewood and Charcoal) The Marginalized National Energy for the Majority in Tanzania TaTEDO By Jensen Shuma.

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Solid Biofuels (Firewood and Charcoal)

The Marginalized National Energy for the Majority in TanzaniaTaTEDO

By Jensen Shuma

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Outline• Introduction• Realities About Solid Biofuels• How to Reverse the Situation• TaTEDO’s Contribution• Other Initiatives Promoted by

TaTEDO• TaTEDO Initiatives on Jatropha• Outcomes• Recommendations

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Introduction

• The majority of Tanzanians (80%) live in rural areas relay on human energy and labour for agriculture and transport

• The formal energy consumption pattern is dominated by solid biofuels (90%) most of which is consumed by households.

Tanzania Energy Consumption Pattern

Others1%

Solid Biofuels

90%

Electricity1%

Petroleum8%

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Realities About Solid Biofuels• The current energy supply in Tanzania is inadequate,

inefficient, unreliable and a cause of environmental degradation and diseases.

• The majority of Tanzanians will continue to depend on solid biofuels to meet their energy needs for many decades due to lack of affordable alternatives.

• The production and use of solid biofuels is based on inefficient energy technologies.

• Other proven renewable energy sources and technologies (such as small hydro, solar, biogas) could significantly reduce the severe energy poverty, provided they are affordable, reliable and financing mechanism is put in place

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Solid Biofuel Realities …..• The government has failed to recognize woodfuels as

the main source of energy for the majority of Tanzanians, leaving it to the informal sector.

• In Tanzania, there is a clear lack of adequate institutional framework for addressing sustainable solid biofuel production and use.

• Woodfuels production, use and marketing are predominantly informal and thus escape official statistics, although estimated revenues from charcoal businesses in Tanzania exceed USD 650 million (equivalent to Tshs 970 billion) per year.

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• The ministries for developing solid biofuels operate at national level with no institutions for the development of woodfuels at local levels where they are urgently needed.

• Tanzania has REA as institution for financing rural energy but rural energy for them is electricity and others but not solid biofuels,

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Typical Solid Biofuel Situation in Tanzania

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How to Reverse the Situation• Tanzania needs to recognize the important role of sold

biofuels in households, institutions and SMEs of cooking and provision of process heat in rural industries.

• Need for the policies and strategies for developing sustainable woodfuels production and use.

• Tanzanian government should urgently formulate and implement policies and strategies that clearly recognize the fact that solid biofuels is the major national energy source now and in the foreseeable future.

• Such initiatives should aim at enhancing capacities of different stakeholders from local to national levels to enable them to contribute effectively in sustainable woodfuels production and use.

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TaTEDO’s Contribution • Solid Biofuel Saving Efforts• According to TaTEDO’s interventions on efficient solid

biofuel use and production, households, SMEs and institutions using improved woodfuel saving technologies can significantly reduce the costs of production and use of solid biofuels..

• TaTEDO has more than 10 prototypes for saving solid biofuels

• Up to 60 percent wood and cost savings have been achieved by institutions and SMEs.

• Households have been able to save up to 70 percent on firewood and charcoal use, respectively.

• In monetary terms this refers to cost reductions of about 80 US$ for firewood users and about 130 US$ for charcoal users per household per year.

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Efficient Charcoal Production Methods• The experiences indicate that there is tremendous

benefit from using improved efficient woodfuels saving technologies in Tanzania

• the average production cost of charcoal using improved basic earth-mound kilns was reduced by over 40 percent from 3 to 1.7 US$ per 30kg bag.

• In addition, improved charcoal production kilns increased average productivity of charcoal production from 6.6 to 16.4 bags per week from the same quantity of wood.

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Efficient Solid Biofuel Technologies

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Other Initiatives Promoted by TaTEDO• Other energy initiatives promoted by TaTEDO

include:– Productive use of solar PV systems– Promoting Biogas (Gaseous Biofuels)– Micro hydro (pilot plants)– wind energy (wind turbine)– Rural electrification using MFP powered by

Jatropha Straight Vegetable Oil– Climate Change Mitigation– etc

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TaTEDO’s Initiatives on Jatropha • Promote Jatropha Farming to Small holder

farmers• Build capacity through trainings and

knowledge provision to the communities• Advocacy of Biofuel Development for local use

to medium and small scale producers at national and international levels

• Undertake research on small scale bio-diesel production from Jatropha Oil

• Use of Jatropha Oil for rural energy generation (electricity and motive power)

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Outcomes• Production and uptake for previous seven

years:– Improved charcoal stoves -1,886,051– Improved Firewood stoves -122,680– Improved charcoal ovens -608, 516– Solar cell phone Multi-charger- 33– Stove artisan trained - 671– Baking Groups trained -546– SMEs and Institutions reached -1,630– Annual tree saving –more than 4,500 ha– Reduced in-door air pollution for >2000 hh

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Recommendations• To address the situation and achieve, the majority access to

modern energy services, there is need to do the following:– Reduce Costs of Modern fuels and energy technologies for

cooking to reduce current large scale dependence on low quality fuels and inefficient technologies

– Successful interventions will require greater commitments from the energy development partners and the government to get energy especially solid biofuels for the majority on top of the national development agenda

– The low funding for solid bio-fuels need urgent action from both the development partners and the government.

– Need for building national, local individuals and institutional capacity on modern energy knowledge.

– Support efforts of the private sector and market networks for modern energy technologies to grow and enable the majority in Tanzania to access better energy services.

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• It is important that the REA and other related private local institutions are adequately empowered and supported to effectively handle woodfuels issues as priority.

• The government need to put greater emphasis on support for the private sector, community participation and other stakeholders in sustainable solid biofuelsl production, use and marketing.

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