69639 IMPROVED ENERGY TECHNOLOGIES FOR RURAL CAMBODIA Ministry of Industry, The World Bank Mines and Energy Overview M any Cambodians in rural areas use kerosene for lighting, “three stone stoves� for cooking, and drink water from rivers or ponds. Wood and charcoal are the primary energy sources, and almost all electricity is generated from imported diesel. To address this situation, four new efficient, cleaner, and affordable energy technologies have been tested and are now ready to be widely disseminated. Approximately 80 percent of mostly from village grids which Copyright © 2009 Cambodians live in rural areas with are often powered by inefficient The International Bank for Reconstruction and Development / limited access to clean and diesel generators; and 80 percent The World Bank affordable water and energy. use kerosene lamps or florescent 1818 H Street, N.W., Washington, Thirty-four percent of the rural lights powered by car batteries. D.C. 20433, United States of America population live below the national www.worldbank.org Over 90 percent of energy used poverty line on less than 2,367 riels All rights reserved for cooking comes from wood and ($0.60) per day. First Printing: December 2009 charcoal, contributing to increased This material maybe copied, Even though Cambodia is a low- deforestation. Due to the inefficiency translated and disseminated income country, the cost of electricity of the commonly used energy (as long as no profit is derived there from) is one of the highest in the world technologies such as traditional Task Team Leaders: Jie Tang and Rogério Carneiro de Miranda due to limited domestic energy cook stoves and kerosene lamps, Project Coordinators: resources. Even when available, rural the poor pay higher unit costs for Jason Steele and Rogier van Mansvelt households pay more for electricity energy than more affluent people. Writing and photography: than urban residents. Currently, On average, rural families spend Michael Wild only 6 percent of Cambodia’s rural about 10 percent of their income on Designed by: Graphic Roots population has access to electricity, fuel and electricity. Acknowledgements: The production team wishes to thank all those partners visited, and in particular to thank Iwan Boskoro, Bun Veasna, Ayako Hiwasa, Penghorn Chheang, Clive Hughes, Jan Lam, H.E. Tun Lean, Rogerio Miranda, Phil Psilos, (the late) Mickey Sampson, Yin Sombo, Nyra Wallace, and all others who contributed to this publication. The findings, interpretations, and conclusions expressed in this paper are entirely those of the author(s) and should not be attributed in any manner to the World Bank, or its affiliated organizations, or to members of its Board of Executive Directors of the countries they represent. The World Bank does not guarantee the accuracy of the data included in this publication and accepts no responsibility whatsoever for any consequence of their use. Many of the 13,000 villages in Cambodia have battery charging stations powered by diesel generators, and more than half of rural households have batteries charged about 5 times a month at a cost of $2.5 per month. 2 The poor also spend about three to the electricity grid is not cost Energy Sector Management Assistance four hours a day on energy-related effective, but these rural households Program (ESMAP), the Asia Sustainable activities such as gathering fuel can still benefit greatly from small- and Alternative Energy Program wood, boiling water, and cooking. scale off-grid solutions. Simple, (ASTAE) and the active involvement The use of more energy-efficient and small, and cost-effective cleaner of NGOs, small and medium-sized renewable energy technologies energy technologies can make a big enterprises are working to develop could significantly reduce the large difference in the lives of the poor – creative business models and share of household expenses especially the women and children, payment schemes so that poorer currently required for cooking and Meeting the energy needs of poorer households can access these energy lighting, allowing poorer people communities requires focusing on efficient and renewable technologies to save more money for food, the needs of the end-users. This and improve their livelihoods. education, and health services. requires providing energy services This booklet provides an overview that are useful, appropriate, and Inadequate access to energy of four improved energy technologies affordable. services has entrenched poverty, piloted in rural Cambodia so that slowed improvements in health and Bottom-up consultations identify policy makers can get a better education, and contributed to and deliver the kinds of energy understanding of their benefits and environmental degradation and services needed to meet local the positive impacts they make on socio-economic inequalities. demand and evaluate results. the livelihoods of the rural poor. Project outcomes are more likely If we want to reduce rural poverty, to be sustainable if the intended improving access to clean and beneficiaries are consulted directly affordable energy services is a and participate in management. prerequisite for achieving economic, social, and environmental benefits, In addition, sustainable business and for meeting development goals. models that include creative Also, renewable and energy- efficient payment schemes for households technologies significantly reduce will help make these technologies greenhouse gas emissions, playing affordable even for the poorest an important role in the global fight people. against climate change. With support from the public and In the remote rural areas where private sector, including technical Rural families consume approximately 5kg of many Cambodian’s live, extending assistance from the World Bank firewood per day – in total about 5 million tons per year is used for cooking. 3 Efficient Cook Stoves In Kampong Speu alone, over three thousand families make their income from selling wood, and five thousand families from charcoal production. M ore than 90 percent of total household energy used in rural Cambodia comes from wood and charcoal, which will continue to be the primary energy source for many more years, especially for poorer people. Faced with this reality, it is clear that simple and affordable solutions to the problems associated with burning wood and charcoal should be addressed. One obvious solution is the production and wide dissemination of more efficient stoves, which can cut fuel consumption in half. Efficient cook stoves have been The new, improved cook stoves are successfully introduced to about based on traditional stove models, 40 percent of the urban population. but both are more efficient due to However, in rural areas most three main improvements in households are still using the design: 1) the space between the pot traditional “three stone stove�, even and the pot-rest is reduced, 2) the though new, energy-efficient stoves grate has smaller holes, and 3) the can save up to 60 percent on fuel. combustion chamber is smaller. Although more energy-efficient The effect is better combustion with stoves cost only one or two dollars less heat loss, a more complete more than traditional ones, the burning of wood, and also less poorest households still cannot smoke. afford them without a subsidy or installment payment scheme. There are two models of improved cook stoves: the Neang Kongrey stove and the New Lao stove. The Neang Kongrey is a simple ceramic cook stove that sells for about $1.25 and lasts for 1-2 years. The New Lao Stove has metal cladding and insulation that adds at least two years to the stove’s lifetime and increases its cost to about $4. New Lao Stove Neang Kongrey Stove 4 The efficiencies of the NKS and NLS Ox carts are the traditional means of distributing cook stoves throughout the country – a trip are similar, at about 30%. They use often takes 2 to 3 weeks. approximately 21% less fuel wood approximately 0.3 to 0.5 tons of than a Traditional Lao Stove and 64% carbon dioxide per stove per year, The Model Production Facility less than a “three stone stove�. can generate a significant amount considered the needs of the Because of the significant savings on of carbon credits, providing the women producers – and they charcoal and wood, payback time sustainable financing necessary to now have the option of forming is about one month for the Neang implement a self-sustaining national and molding the stoves at home, Kongrey Stove and three months for cook stove program, as well as with the clay mixed in the facility the New Lao Stove. financing the sustainable production and stoves fired in the facility’s of sufficient firewood through kiln. This enables them to take Both stoves are very popular with community woodlots and efficient care of the children, house, and users because they significantly cut charcoal production. animals while earning money cooking fuel consumption. For those working on the stoves. who collect and chop their own To improve quality, durability, and wood, using less fuel saves them increase production capacity The Model Production Facility is considerable time. Women and (the problems found during a pilot located in Banh Chhkoul village, children also benefit from the dissemination of 8,000 stoves), Kampong Chhnang Province, reduced smoke that often causes the World Bank-ASTAE Program Cambodia’s center for stove and respiratory diseases. Users also provided GERES-Cambodia with pottery production and appreciate the new stoves because the technical assistance required to distribution. they hold the heat well and do not develop a model production The village’s 60 ox carts, 15 require too much attention, so that facility for Neang Kongrey stoves. motorized carts (remorks), and cooks can do other things after put- This facility mixes clay mechanically 8 small trucks transport pottery ting a pot on the stove. Users also say and provides improved molding and all kinds of traditional, as well they save time because food cooks techniques, and kiln firing. In as the more efficient stoves, to faster. The choice of stove depends addition to producing more and major towns and district markets on family needs, size of their pots better quality stoves, as compared in provinces around the Tonlé Sap (as the stoves come in different sizes), to traditional production methods, and in the Mekong River delta. portability, and how much the family this enterprise also pays fair wages to can afford to pay. The Model Production Facility stove producers, most of whom gives a promising future to More efficient cook stoves provide are women. Due to the improved the village whose traditional, global environmental benefits by efficiency of production, the inefficient stoves were losing reducing greenhouse gas emissions facility keeps costs low so that poorer their market share. from the combustion of biomass. people can afford to buy the stoves. These emission reductions, 5 Biodigesters B iodigesters can eliminate the need for fuel wood, and significantly reduce the expense of kerosene for lighting. The benefits of biodigesters are highly reduce greenhouse gas emissions, appreciated by both women improve sanitation in and around the “ I used to pay a lot each month for LPG and men. They improve the living house, and make home study and gas and often had to cook with firewood or conditions of the entire family income generation activities possible charcoal that made my pans very dirty. Now I have biogas and I can use my LPG stove with and contribute to their farm’s beyond daylight hours. Each the biogas. The cooking quality of the gases productivity. biodigester can reduce CO2 emissions is the same, but now the gas comes from the by about 6 tons per year. waste of the cows and is free �. Anaerobic biodigesters, fed with animal dung and other organic The smokeless and very clean kitchen waste, produce methane gas which is is especially valued by women, and used for both cooking and lighting. the slurry is highly valued as a natural Rural families with four or five cows fertilizer by men. Both appreciate or about 10 pigs have sufficient dung the overall benefits to the family that to produce enough gas to cook three come from saving fuel wood and meals a day for a family of six, and having a more hygienic environment also sufficient gas for an entire around the house, and in the pig sty evening of lighting. and cattle pen. Biodigesters help to reduce Biodigesters empower women and deforestation, eliminate harmful significantly reduce their workloads. “I used to collect fuelwood and now I don’t have to with a biodigester, I am able to save several indoor smoke from wood fires, By replacing the use of firewood hours a day and the cooking is much easier and cleaner.� with biogas for cooking, women and children spend less time collecting cooking fuel which allows women to be more productive, and children the time to attend school. Through time saved in firewood collection, chopping, and starting fires, the biodigester reduces the workload of women and children by approximately 2-3 hours per day. Changing from fuel wood to biogas for cooking reduces smoke and indoor air pollution. Indoor air quality 6 is a major public health concern, as it is shown to cause and/or exacerbate a wide array of health problems: asthma, low birth weight and still birth, early infant death, chronic obstructive lung disease, blindness, tuberculosis, heart disease, and others. This is more pronounced among women and children in the rural areas of developing countries, as they tend to spend more time indoors cooking with primitive stoves. Other major health hazards related to wood burning are fires in kitchens, poor ergonomics of cook stoves, and severe backache due to carrying heavy loads of wood. Again, mostly women are affected. Improved local environments and health conditions are also expected for those households that choose to connect their latrine to the biodigesters. This type of connection will result in better disposal of human waste, and is expected to improve health conditions by improving drinking water quality, particularly in areas that flood. Compared to cooking with firewood, biogas cooking is so easy that families are now making more dishes during the day, such as frying eggs, and use it for heating water for hot showers. The ability to turn on the gas tap and quickly cook a number of dishes should improve nutrition. By comparing the kitchens using firewood with those using biogas one can see the incredible improvements the biodigester can make to living standards, especially for women and children. The National Biodigester Program (NBP), hosted by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, with technical assistance from SNV- Cambodia, is developing a commercial market-oriented biodigester sector. The World Bank-ASTAE Program also provided technical assistance to the NBP to support the training of local companies to provide sales, installations, warranties, and the “I used to have very irregular work as my boss only called when we needed to build a biodigester. supply of spare parts. Now my boss started a company and we can find clients ourselves and can build many more biodigesters than before.� 7 Ceramic Water Filters C eramic water filters not only improve sanitation and the safety of drinking water, but also save time and reduce the fuel consumed in boiling drinking water. Rural families get their drinking water from rivers, lakes, ponds, and deep drilled wells. Before drinking, most families boil the water, but they often drink the water directly from the source, resulting in many cases of diarrhea and other intestinal diseases. Water from open wells, rivers and lakes can be filtered with ceramic water filters to produce a much safer drinking water. International studies show that the ceramic water filters, on average, eliminate 95 percent of all bacteria and viruses, and reduce diarrheal diseases by 46 percent in rural areas. 8 In parts of Cambodia, especially The water filter is appreciated not in Kandal Province, many deep only for reducing the burden water wells are polluted with of collecting fuel wood, or the cost dangerous levels of arsenic. While of paying for it, and the time the ceramic filter cannot remove spent boiling water, but also arsenic and other chemical because the filter saves on the contamination, surface water can medical expenses of treating be used instead in these affected water-born intestinal diseases. areas. The filter users and neighbors who drink their water say that Resource Development “the filtered water is delicious, International – Cambodia (RDI) and it encourages us to drink has been making ceramic water more water, which is important filters in Cambodia since 2003 for good health.� and has distributed over 75,000 units in Cambodia and internationally. The ceramic water filter is produced from clay mixed with powdered rice husks, kiln fired, and then impregnated with a silver nitrate solution that kills bacteria. The cost of the filter is $10, and the payback time is about 3 months for people who buy wood to boil water. Each filter can reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 0.5 tons per year by eliminating the combustion of fuel wood for boiling water. The filter can last for at least two years if regularly cleaned and properly used. 9 LED Lanterns An LED lantern with a photovoltaic charger is a sustainable solution for rural lighting needs In rural areas, about 80 percent of solar panel is 2.5 watt / 6.6 volt, with households use a kerosene lamp for an expected lifetime of more than lighting. For many of the poor, this is 10 years. The cost for the solar panel their only lighting source, but even is $18. The payback time is expected the middle class and more affluent to be one year (for families replacing households use kerosene because their kerosene lamp with both the local grids do not provide electricity LED lantern and solar panel). 24 hours a day, and florescent lighting powered by rechargeable Villagers value the LED lantern for car batteries is more expensive. a variety of reasons. The strong headlight is useful for guarding their LED lights consume much less energy livestock in the forest or around than incandescent bulbs, which their houses. Many villagers have makes the lantern more efficient. had their livestock stolen, and greatly The LED lantern, promoted by appreciate the powerful high beam the NGO, Resource Development that discourages thieves. The high International-Cambodia (RDI), has beam is also used for catching frogs several functions: a bright flashlight and fish after dark, which reduces with a high and a low beam, and 10 daily food expenses. LED lights on the side that can be used for evening activities such as The sidelight is used for preparing eating dinner and study. The strong and eating dinner, children’s study, side light can last for about 12 hours getting ready for bed, and for income on a fully charged battery, and the generation activities after daylight flash light at low beam lasts for hours. The flashlight is convenient about 25 hours. for visiting neighbors after dark and sudden needs such as a baby crying The battery can be charged from or checking on sounds from outside. the grid, from a 12-volt battery by The portability of the lantern is also using an adapter, or by using a small appreciated because it can be moved photovoltaic solar panel. The lantern around the house and up and down has a 4-volt battery with 5.5 ampere the stairs much more easily than a capacity and sells for about $15. The florescent light attached to a battery. 10 If the lantern is to benefit poorer affordable through rent-to-own $4 per month. Therefore, two or three households by replacing kerosene arrangements. Households which dollars per month, for rent-to-own lamps as the primary house lighting, use kerosene from sunset to installments, is considered affordable the retailing price has to be made bedtime spend an average of $2 to by poorer households. To make the water filters and lanterns available in rural villages, RDI sponsored business training and selected 25 interested villagers to become retailers. They followed a three-week training course during which they gained basic accounting and entrepreneurial skills, including promotion and finding potential customers. These entrepreneurs designed several payment schemes including an option for rent-to-own in order to make the technologies available to the poor. From their experience they found that poor households are able to pay a daily payment, for either the lantern or filter, equal to what they currently spend on kerosene for lighting or wood for boiling water. 11