Pellets for Clean Cooking Solutions
I
n the era of using smart phones, i-pads and internet, it can be often hard to believe that in most parts of India people still cook food by burning wood, cowdung and coal in open fires or rudimentary cookstoves. Women and girls spend 20 or more hours per week on long, exhausting walks in dangerous and isolated areas in order to collect fuel which exposes them to an increased risk of gender based violence. Cardio-vascular, respiratory and eye problems, which are often attributed to Indoor Air Pollution (IAP) are very common in Indian villages causing 488,0001 deaths every year.Solution
Pellets are a new generation alternative fuel for cooking which results in a daily saving of upto 40%
2. They are made from agro waste like husks, pips and seeds, shells, maize cobs etc. and have an energy content of about 4400kCal. This means 2.5 kg of pellets are equivalent to about 1 kg of LPG. These pellets are fed in clean cookstoves which is a onetime investment that addresses the health and environmental impacts associated with traditional cookstoves. Adoption of pellet-clean cookstove combination has so far been low in India because of low demand, insufficient supply of appropriate technologies to cater to the range of local cooking practices and lack of economically viable business and distribution models.India’s status as a primarily agrarian economy makes it
the perfect candidate
for a bio energy led model for cooking, utilising the
country’s large volumes of leftover agricultural as well as forest residue
and generating income and employment opportunities especially at the
grassroots rural community level.
Direct Benefits and Market Potential of Using Pellets
This combination gives an attractive advantage to rural people providing them with savings in terms of money and fuel, as well as generation of employment opportunities thereby increasing profits. Also, by using this combination, they are at reduced risk of IAP related diseases, reducing their medical expenditure and there by enhancing savings. Biomass pellets can be economically produced with a production cost of Rs. 7/kg, assuming raw materials are locally available and are sundried. This highlights entrepreneurial opportunities of generating annual profit to the tune of 30 lakhs by investing 23-25 lakhs.
Since pellets can be domestically made, they are consequently less expensive to produce and thereby sold at lower prices ranging from Rs. 8 -15/kg competing with coal at Rs. 10-12/kg and LPG at Rs. 30-35/kg.
The Bio-Pellet industry has considerably grown in Europe in recent years and is gaining importance quickly across the globe due to its carbon neutral properties. Many low-income families spend a substantial part of their household income and time on wood or coal for cooking. This problem can be solved by using pellets. The market (comprising of households and commercial cooking units) has put forth a dire need to get access to clean cookstoves and biomass pellets. In addition, there have been sporadic efforts from state governments, private agencies and donors to set up biomass pelletisation projects in rural areas, thus creating enormous opportunities in the sector. For example, Saryu Ajeevika Vikas Samiti (Barabanki, UP) with a manufacturing capacity of 25 tons/month exchanges 1 kg of pellets with farmers for 4 kgs of agro-waste. Rest of the production is sold to commercial units in the vicinity.
Conclusion
Adhering to a market based approach, implementation of pellets for clean cooking solutions should be done with a keen focus on sustainable production and supply of pellet-cookstove combination, sales promotion through innovative financing and business models and lastly, tapping entrepreneurs’ interest for providing eco-friendly products and services which is a ‘win-win’ opportunity for both development goals and commercial interests. q
Priyali Bhardwaj
pbhardwaj@devalt.org
Endnotes
1 The Kaleidoscope of Cooking Understanding Cooking Behaviour and Stove Preferences in Rural India. (2015) (1st ed.). Retrieved from http://www.fairclimatefund.nl/wp-content/uploads/2014/05 the_kaleidoscope_ of_cooking.pdf
2 When compared to a unit using 1 LPG cylinder/day.