Home > Projects > Regeneration > Clean Cooking and Sustainable Biomass Energy
Tea production uses large quantities of firewood in the drying and withering processes – and tea farmers also typically rely on biomass for cooking – contributing to deforestation and health impacts due to indoor air pollution. How can large-scale energy users – like tea factories – become part of the solution by driving a switch to sustainable biomass energy to supply both industrial and domestic consumers?
Factory staff is trained in the use of briquettes which deliver big savings in production costs that are passed onto tea farmers through the KTDA cooperative model.
EnSo is working with Tamuwa Ltd to increase the uptake of their biomass briquettes made from sugar-cane waste. At the same time, EnSo is working with entrepreneurs to sell clean and efficient cook-stoves that reduce indoor air pollution and use much less fuel per meal cooked – saving households money. This model, combining industrial and domestic consumers also means we are able to offer households an alternative to firewood and charcoal – thanks to a specially manufactured fuel produced for us by Tamuwa using the same sustainable sugarcane waste.
Households are offered a range of stoves including the newest and most efficient designs including gasifiers and in-situ ‘rocket’ models that deliver some of the cleanest cooking solutions.
EnSo has also supported entrepreneurs like Mary Waiyego to produce carbonized fuel briquettes that are a sustainable and affordable replacement for charcoal.