[Stoves] Stoves Digest, Vol 31, Issue 39

[paal wendelbo]

Tom and other stovers

            I have been working with this aspect for about 20 years now and 
do have some miscellaneous experiences. Changes has to come from the inside.

            If we want to have some changes at the household-energy sector, 
and that is really needed, we have to learn from the very beginning. How 
were the three stove fireplace introduced, and later the charcoal-stove? Not 
by marketing, not by Tupperware sales, not by NGO's I suppose. I think all 
started with the fuel and from the inside by training and failing. People 
had the fuel and they found out how to utilize it, and then how to make it 
better. They found charcoal was better than 3 stone, and did not worry about 
the energy losses by production and the smoke, due to plenty of wood. Now we 
can see the results; deforestation, smoke related deceases, high cost fuel 
(half of it transport-costs) etc

            !5 years ago we had the discussion at a UNHCR run refugee camp 
in North of Uganda about mud/clay stoves or metal sheet stoves to replace 
the 3 stone fireplace and the charcoal stove. By satellite it was seen the 
forest were shrinking. It ended up with the decision of the, that time 
strongest NGO, improved clay/mud stove .though the fuel consumption even was 
higher than by the 3 stone. Now 15 years later it seems clay/mud stove still 
is preferred like in Gulu and now in Peru. We do have the excellent TLUD/ND 
and TLUD/FD and some others which provable will reduce the fuel consumption 
and are burning free of smoke and soot, but we still have some problem with 
the fuel; Pellettizing and briquetting will also demand energy, will pellets 
and briquettes be cheaper than firewood and charcoal?

            Household energy is this days more a political and environment 
task than cultural and practical. A huge amount of people are depending on 
charcoal production, transport and sales. More are depending on bio fuel for 
cooking. We know production of charcoal reduce the energy-content in wood 
with about 70%.

             A stove project: should start at the schools with energy and 
environment problems

The first question will be: Is there a need of changes of the existing 
situation? The second will be: What is the fuel? Will there be enough fuel? 
And fuel to what price? When you have the fuel it is easy to produce the 
right stove. For communities in developing countries it is also 
socio-economical question. Who will be the loser? Will that be the charcoal 
producers and dealers? The winner will at least be the consumers, the 
forests and the fuel producer.

Probably also the local tinsmiths will win some..

With regards Paal W  paaw at online.no

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Tom Miles" <tmiles at trmiles.com>
To: "'Discussion of biomass cooking stoves'" <stoves at listserv.repp.org>
Sent: Thursday, January 29, 2009 11:12 PM
Subject: Re: [Stoves] Stoves Digest, Vol 31, Issue 39


>
>>Given the two contributions below, I am wondering if there are any
> marketing, sociology or tech transfer studies on stove adoption and use 
> (as
> designed).
>
> Two studies come to mind. One is an MA thesis from the Netherlands," A
> Realistic Evaluation of Stove Design Process," that I will soon receive 
> from
> Jed Guinto in the Philippines. Another is a dissertation in progress by 
> Nate
> Johnson at Iowa State University. You may know Nate from his MA thesis 
> work
> on Stoves Safety.
> http://www.bioenergylists.org/taxonomy/term/782/4
> http://www.bioenergylists.org/taxonomy/term/606
>
>
> Others I am sure are available at the HEDON website based on evaluation of
> programs in Africa sponsored by programs like DFID (UK) and GTZ (Germany 
> and
> the Netherlands).
>
> Tom Miles
> www.bioenergylists.org
>
>
>
>
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>
>