ENERGY ENVIRONMENT INITIATIVES
Overview
Energy production and use in all sectors is associated with a number of negative environmental effects which their causes are inefficient production, utilization and poor management practices. These effects include, among others environmental problems in form of destruction of land through deforestation, desertification, loss of biodiversity, soil erosion, loss of land productivity, indoor air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions.
Inefficient and unsustainable management practices dominate production and use of biomass energy in the country. Inefficient traditional wood-fuel technologies are causing wastage of forest resources, high expenditure on household energy budget, wastage of time and health problems, thereby accelerating poverty. Whilst the common method used for carbonising charcoal is traditional earthmound kilns, three-stone fire place and simple metal stove dominates household cooking stove. These practices emit large amounts of pollutants in the indoor environment. The pollutants are estimated to have been responsible for 2.7 percent of the global burden of diseases.
Kerosene which account to 13 % of the household energy use in the country is another important source of indoor air pollution. When used for lighting in inefficient wicked lamps and other traditional appliances produces a lot of smoke with large quantities of both carbon and sulphur dioxide thereby adding the problem. It should however be noted that other energy sources such as electricity and LPG can cause the same effects if poorly managed. For instance, use of dirty electric/LPG cookers may as well cause indoor air pollution.
Apart from use of inefficient technologies, indoor air pollution effects are magnified by poorly ventilated kitchens in both rural and urban areas of Tanzania raising another concern to health of women and children who cook daily and sometimes use kitchens as bedrooms.
Pollution caused by industrialized countries
Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) Projects
The convention and the Kyoto Protocol provide opportunities for sustainable development through access to cleaner technologies and additional investment opportunities such as the clean Development Mechanism. TaTEDO through small programme REEEP and SSN have managed to build staff capacity in developing fundable CDM proposals in the field of energy and environment. So far, four project identification notes (PINs) on improved woodfuel stoves, micro-hydro, bio-diesel for transportation and biogas have been prepared. Of which, implementation of project on improved woodfuel stoves has started under voluntary carbon market and will receive carbon credit for 10 years period starting from 2008 to 2017. Project Development Document (PDD) for bio-diesel for transportation and micro-hydro are under preparation and different financing efforts have been undertaken.
TaTEDO Intervention
In view of the above description, TaTEDO has established Energy Environment Initiatives (EEI) to compliment national efforts on poverty reduction and environment conservation as stipulated in the national forest, energy, environment and other related policies and strategies. These initiatives are managed by EEEI department. The main focus of the EEI department is embedded on developing and implementing strategies and programmes that aims at avoiding and/or mitigating associated energy production and use effects. Specifically, EEI department is campaigning on mitigating negative effects associated with production and use of energy the activities include , advocating for adoption energy technologies that reduces indoor air pollution, tree planting and proper management practices of forest resources, dissemination of knowledge on sustainable methods of charcoal production, sustaining supply of bio-fuels (e.g. farming of Jatropha curcas,), campaigning on Clean Development Mechanism (CDM).The specific CDM activities are mitigation and adaptation projects, campaigning on sensitive and responsive engendered energy policies, strategies programmes and projects.
Sustainable Charcoal Production Using Improved Kilns
Improved charcoal production and tree growing profoundly reduce the rate of deforestation. Field experiences have also shown that dissemination of knowledge on proper tree harvesting techniques, use of efficient charcoal production kiln and tree planting to charcoal producers has minimized destruction of forest resources. Knowing that, the package offered for training involves forest extension officers, charcoal producers and charcoal dealers. The key issues around such training include proper harvesting techniques, planting and management of trees on harvested areas, improved charcoal production techniques and formation of charcoal producers associations so as to be able to negotiate better prices.
More than 400 charcoal producers have been trained in twelve villages from different charcoal catchment regions of Tanzania. Also extension officers have been trained for the purpose of providing continuous technical assistance to charcoal producers. Two types of kiln are promoted i.e. Improved Basic Earth mound Kiln (IBEK) for small producers and Half Orange Kiln (HOK) for saw mill industries
Improved Earthmound Charcoal Kiln(IBEK) Half-Orange for Charcoal Kiln
By using IBEK charcoal recovery rate is 0.06tons/m3 (2bags of 30kgs) and by using IBEK recovery is 0.09tons/m3 (3bags of 30kgs). The differences between these methods give savings of 33 percent. This means that for each cubic metre of wet wood 33% that could be burned to ash is saved as charcoal meaning further that trees corresponding to 0.5m3 are saved. HOK has efficiently between 25-35%
In-door Air Pollution
Energy poverty makes about half of the world's population use solid
fuels, including woo
dfuels, cow dung and coal for cooking and
heating their homes. Smoke from burning these fuels turns kitchens into death
traps. In poor people's homes throughout the developing
world, levels of exposure to dangerous pollutants are often 100 times
higher than recommended limits. Indoor smoke from burning solid fuels
kills over 1.6 million men, women and children each year.
That is a life lost every 20 seconds - a death toll greater than that
caused by malaria.
TaTEDO through its initiatives of disseminating sustainable modern energy technologies and services has been contributing to the efforts of reducing indoor air pollution by installing improved woodfuel stoves with chimneys, encouraging and assisting her target groups and beneficiaries to access and use clean energy technologies such as solar PV systems for lighting, electricity from Jatropha oil, micro-hydro etc.
Agro-forestry
Tree Planting Programme
One of the TaTEDO environment mitigation practices is to provide technical support through tree nursery establishment and tree growing. More than 40 groups of farmers and individuals from 19 districts of Tanzania have been trained and supported in order to establish tree nurseries and plant trees. Selling of tree seedlings has been significantly contributed to livelihood of many rural and urban households. However, it was leant that commercial oriented, private owned tree nurseries have great chance to succeed as compared to communal ones. Also it has been learnt that priority of the poor and concern for environmental conservation are the two conflicting ends that need to be given a careful look when designing energy programmes.
Promoting Planting of Energy Crop and Biofuel production
TaTEDO is national widely sensitizing rural and urban communities on the potential use of Jatropha curcas. The main focus has been to provide information on agronomy and facilitate availability of seeds to potential farmers. So far, quite a number of farmers are engaged in the production of Jatropha with farm size ranging from 0.5 ha to 10 ha.
In
Tanzania, Biofuel production is a new area of development. But it is
becoming popular as the price of fossil oils is increasing. Biofuels
can be a reliable source
of
energy and contribute to electrification in
rural areas. This was
possible in Tanzania through two Multifunctional Platforms (MFPs)
installed by TaTEDO in Engaruka
and
Leguruki villages in Arusha Region for mini-grid electrification.
Generally, large scale production and use of biofuels
for
transport and in other locomotive engines
has the potential to make a significant positive contribution
to climate change problems and support rural livelihoods. However, those
benefits are subject to appropriate national strategies to regulate
investment, market and sustain pressure
from relatively powerful investors.
Tree Nursery
Tanzania Traditional Energy Development and Environment Organization
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