2019/99 Supported by K NKONW A A WELDEGDEG E OL N ONTOET E S ESREI R E ISE S F OFRO R P R&A C T HTEH E NEENREGRYG Y ETX ITCREA C T I V E S G L O B A L P R A C T I C E THE BOTTOM LINE Beyond the Last Mile: Piloting High-Efficiency, Chronic underheating is commonplace among poor Low-Emissions Heating Technologies in Central Asia households in cold-climate regions of developing countries beyond the reach of district heating Why does this issue matter? aggravate the consequences of being chronically or episodically cold and gas-distribution networks. (Gasparrini et al. 2015). The smoke leaked from the stoves causes Until fuel switching is possible, In many cold-climate regions, chronic underheating household air pollution, with adverse effects on human health and high-efficiency, low-emissions of homes is common the climate. (HELE) technologies offer a cost- Whether caused by lack of access to modern energy infrastructure effective, intermediate solution to or low disposable income, energy poverty leaves many homes What has been the response? meet the heating aspirations of underheated. In cold-climate areas of Central Asia, like other high- underserved populations. Recent Until fuel switching is possible, high-efficiency, low- altitude developing regions with a long winter season, suppressed pilot experience in Kyrgyzstan demand for heating energy is significant, especially among the rural emissions stoves offer underserved populations a shows that switching to HELE and peri-urban poor. In Kyrgyzstan—one of Central Asia’s poorest cost-effective, intermediate heating solution heating stoves yields substantial countries—only 17 percent of the country’s 1.1 million households— Recent World Bank–supported pilot programs in Central Asia have benefits, including dramatically mainly those in the capital city of Bishkek and other major urban brought to market advanced high-efficiency, low-emissions (HELE) reduced emissions, better health, areas—have access to district heating. heating and cooking stoves that have gained broad acceptance and savings in household fuel For low-income Kyrgyz communities in remote, difficult-to-reach by households participating in pilot projects (World Bank 2017a). expenditure. areas beyond the end of district heating and gas-distribution Development of a small-scale, advanced combustion technology to networks, heating options are limited. The capacity of the already meet the heating aspirations of underserved households resulted strained electricity network is deteriorating, and raising electricity from nearly a decade of international collaboration and field evalu-  abei Zhang is a senior Y energy economist in use to meet the need for winter heating is not a viable option. ations by similarly motivated researchers, designers, practitioners, the World Bank’s Energy and Modern renewable energy sources are not yet financially viable and stove users in Mongolia, China, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and South Extractives Global Practice. for space-heating applications at the household level, and woody Africa. In Kyrgyzstan, the KG4, a cross-draft coal gasifier heating biomass resources are limited. stove, was field-tested during the 2016–17 winter heating season,  orma Adams is a N In attempting to meet their space-heating needs, the vast with positive user feedback. The combustion system is an open- writer and consultant editor for the World Bank Group.  majority of Kyrgyz households have long relied on solid fuel–fired source design that has been adapted for low-pressure boilers and traditional stoves and simple low-pressure boilers, both of which other HELE heating stoves by practitioners in Mongolia, Tajikistan, are highly polluting both indoors and outside. Fueled mainly by coal, South Africa, Russia, and Poland. C  rispin Pemberton-Pigott wood, and dung, these stoves have a typical thermal efficiency is a technical consultant for of just 20–40 percent. Combustion and fuel inefficiencies, in turn, the World Bank. 2 B e y o n d t he L a s t M i le : P i l o t i n g H i g h - E f f i c i e n c y, L o w - E m i s s i o n s H e a t i n g Tech n o l o g i e s i n C e n t r a l A s i a How does the KG4 work? Figure 1. KG4 cross-draft combustion process A solid fuel with a known composition can be burned 6 efficiently with low emissions if matched with an appropriate stove architecture Solid fuels do not Solid fuels do not contain inherently unburnable smoke. By applying contain inherently advanced combustion science and industrial design principles to unburnable smoke. small-scale coal combustion, HELE heating stoves can burn all of the smoke generated during initial devolatilization. But to complete the oxidation process for raw coal, the coal gases must be kept 1 sufficiently hot and mixed with an adequate supply of air for a certain 5 period of time. In short, the process requires an appropriate balance of time, temperature, and turbulence (World Bank 2019). The KG4 has a hopper-fed cross-draft combustor, characterized by six zones (figure 1). Once appropriately-sized raw coal fuel is loaded in the hopper (zone 1) and the hopper cover is sealed, dehydration and devolatilization begin (zone 2). The next step is semi-coking, which generates a large quantity of thick smoke (zone 3). During gasification (zone 4), smoke is “cracked” into simple gases within a bed of hot coke. The resulting coal gas is burned with 2 secondary air in the fire chamber (zone 5). Finally, heat is transferred to the room via the heat exchanger or the cooking pot (zone 6). With the right fuel, grate, and fuel depth on the lower grate, 3 4 gravity will feed coal into the combustion zone without user interven- tion. This self-feeding function is especially important to households because, in practice, once the hopper is filled and the power level set, the stove can operate safely while unattended for several hours. Under the conditions observed in the Kyrgyzstan pilot program, 10 kilograms of fuel permit the stove to burn the popular Kara-Keche coal unattended for 14 hours (at lowest power) or 4 hours (at high power). Coals with stronger ash or high ash content can be burned effectively, but the grate must be shaken periodically (every 2–6 hours), depending on the power level and the physical characteristics of the ash. 3 B e y o n d t he L a s t M i le : P i l o t i n g H i g h - E f f i c i e n c y, L o w - E m i s s i o n s H e a t i n g Tech n o l o g i e s i n C e n t r a l A s i a What were the results? Box 1. Where there is fire, is there always smoke? Perceived benefits of the KG4 stove are supported One pilot household member from Uchbay Village in the Osh District by independent personal exposure measurements reported in February 2017 that she (the first of several users) was and laboratory emissions testing accused by a meter reader from the power distribution company of “stealing electricity” for heating. The logic behind the accusation was The range of benefits During the winter heating season of 2016–17, the KG4 coal gasifier that the house was warm with no visible smoke from the chimney or reported included stove and KG5 low-pressure boiler were field-tested in 41 rural and indoors, and the electricity meter had not moved. The woman reported she had not had to relight the fire since her new KG4 stove was improved home comfort peri-urban homes in Kyrgyzstan. Hands-on instructions in the use installed in November 2016. Although the stove burned continuously and convenience of stove and maintenance of the stoves and fuel preparation were provided. throughout the winter, she estimated that her coal consumption was User surveys, conducted by CAMP Alatoo, a local nongovernmental down by about a ton during the 2016–17 winter heating season, a use, lower spending on monetary saving of 40 percent. organization partnering in the pilot, occurred 10 weeks after fuel, and markedly better installation and again later in the heating season. Personal exposure family health. to smoke for the household members who do the cooking was measured by an independent agency. switch to the new stoves. Fresh Air’s team took personal exposure User survey responses. The KG4 stove was broadly accepted measurements two months after stove installation and again one by the pilot participants (World Bank 2017b). The range of benefits year later, in the winter of 2017–18. The results show that the KG4 reported included improved home comfort and convenience of model improves indoor air quality significantly. In 2016–17, PM2.5 stove use, lower spending on fuel, and markedly better family health. concentrations for the control group averaged 153 µg per m3. Two All pilot respondents agreed that their homes were consistently months after stove installation, average PM2.5 concentrations for warm and more comfortable after installing the new stoves. In fact, the treatment group had fallen by an average of 70 µg per m3 (from because of the increase in thermal efficiency, fuel savings of 60 153 to 83 µg per m3). By the next winter, this average had declined percent were possible. In practice, however, users typically parti- by another 22 µg per m3 (to 61 µg per m3) (van Gemert et al. 2019) tioned the potential savings into reduced coal consumption (about (figure 2). 40 percent) and keeping a larger area of their homes consistently Improved indoor air quality and reduced personal exposure to warmer (about 20 percent). Some 90 percent of users reported that PM2.5, in turn, alleviated the respiratory symptoms of household they spent less time starting, tending, and refueling the fire. In addi- members. After installation, coughing, wheezing, and dyspnea tion, more than 80 percent perceived a reduction of smoke leakage disappeared for most children and adults (table 1). into the home, with the added benefit of not having to repaint the Following installation of the KG5 low-pressure boilers in Chui, kitchen walls every few months (box 1). the incidence of chest infections in winter among children in the Personal exposure monitoring. Concurrent with the 2016–17 11 participant households in that district fell from 86 percent to winter pilot, a program called Fresh Air, implemented by the just 13 percent, and the incidence of children suffering more than International Primary Care Respiratory Group, measured 48-hour two chest infections fell to 1 percent, a remarkable 31 points below personal exposure to PM2.5 (from all sources) for those household the baseline. With the dramatic decline in chest infections, children members responsible for cooking—in most cases, a woman—in the missed far fewer school days. 30 homes that installed a KG4 stove in Osh and Jalalabad Districts Concurrent laboratory testing. The KG4 was also laboratory (the treatment group). tested at China Agricultural University during the 2016–17 winter The control group for personal exposure consisted of house- heating season to quantify PM2.5 and carbon monoxide (CO) emis- hold members responsible for cooking in 20 homes that did not sions and to establish the unit’s thermal efficiency during typical use. 4 B e y o n d t he L a s t M i le : P i l o t i n g H i g h - E f f i c i e n c y, L o w - E m i s s i o n s H e a t i n g Tech n o l o g i e s i n C e n t r a l A s i a Table 1. Comparison of selected respiratory symptoms before and Table 2. Stove performance comparisons after HELE model installations (percentage experiencing symptom) Traditional KG4 cross-draft KG4 installation KG5 installation Factor Mongolian stovea gasifier Metric Before (%) After (%) Before (%) After (%) Thermal efficiency (%) 30 87 Coughing PM2.5 (mg/MJNET) 794 2.3 Improved indoor air quality Adults 50.0 3.4 71.4 0 CO (g/MJNET) 16.6 1.4 and reduced personal PM2.5 reduction (%) Baseline 99.7 Children 32.8 0 53.8 0 exposure to particulate CO reduction (%) Baseline 92 Wheezing matter alleviated the Adults 10.0 3.4 35.7 8.3 Black carbon reduction (%) Baseline 92 respiratory symptoms Children 7.7 0 7.7 0 Note: PM = particulate matter; CO = carbon monoxide. a. The traditional Mongolian heating stove was used as the baseline stove because it has been of household members; Dyspnea repeatedly evaluated and because the traditional Kyrgyz heating stoves are similar in con- coughing, wheezing, and Adults 40.0 0 57.1 0 struction, operation, leakage, emissions, and efficiency. Laboratory testing at China Agricultural University in Beijing attempted to quantify emissions from a traditional Kyrgyz heating stove dyspnea disappeared for Children 53.6 4.4 69.2 0 using various fuels; however, the emissions for coal were so high that the equipment became clogged and tests had to be abandoned after two hours. Note: The KG4 was field-tested in 30 homes in Osh and Jalalabad Districts, while the KG5 low most children and adults. -pressure boiler was field-tested in 11 homes in Chui District that had water-heated radiators. Six-hour cooking and heating tests were conducted on the cross- Figure 2. Reduced personal exposure to PM2.5 after KG4 draft coal combustor used in the Kyrgyz KG4 and KG5 stoves, logging installation, Osh and Jalalabad the real-time performance. The lab test results show that the KG4 model has a thermal effi- 250 ciency of ~87 percent, compared with just 30 percent for a traditional Mongolian stove during typical use. Per megajoule of heat energy 230 delivered to the home, the KG4 reduces PM2.5 emissions by 210 99 percent, while CO and black carbon emissions are reduced by 190 92 percent each (table 2). PM2.5 personal exposure (µg/m3) PM2.5 Lower 95% Cl 170 Upper 95% Cl What were the success factors in the pilots? 150 153 Intensive engagement with household users, 130 stimulation of the industrial sector, and technical 110 assistance for targeted producers were crucial in 90 improving design, production, and adoption of the 83 70 HELE stoves 61 The HELE technology designers began by learning about Kyrgyz 50 household consumers’ needs and perceptions, aspirations, and 30 realities. They considered a range of factors that could influence Control group of 2 months after Winter 2017–18 20 homes installation of stove potential stove users. Apart from adequate heating, key concerns included the ability to heat multiple pots of water, having adequate Source: World Bank 2019. 5 B e y o n d t he L a s t M i le : P i l o t i n g H i g h - E f f i c i e n c y, L o w - E m i s s i o n s H e a t i n g Tech n o l o g i e s i n C e n t r a l A s i a cooking power and control, the social status of the fuel used, and The KG4 heating stove is considered affordable for rural and pride of ownership. peri-urban households in Kyrgyzstan. A field visit to a mountain Recognizing that the behavior of stove users might depart from village near Osh District shows that households that switched from laboratory testing procedures and that there would be a point of a traditional solid fuel–fired heating stove to the KG4 model enjoy diminishing returns on additional costs, the quality of typical local net savings on fuel of US$48 per month. It is expected that, in the The challenge was how to fuel was an important design input, whereas optimum fuel particle future, repairs can be handled by Kyrgyzstan’s many welding shops. retain all of the functions size was an output. The chemical and physical analyses of available The model’s new cast-iron grate is a locally manufactured, owner- coals were checked, and new models were fine-tuned to accommo- replaceable part. The cast-iron top is expected to last for many years. of the ideal prototype, date the fuels households were likely to use. Further product evolution and field testing continued throughout the while adapting it to rural The KG4 was sized to heat homes of 50–70 square meters in 2017–18 winter heating season. Kyrgyzstan’s on-the-ground areas where winter temperatures can fall below −30 °C. In collabora- realities, considering locally tion with CAMP Alatoo, the KG4 was adapted to fit each pilot region’s What has been learned? available materials, producer skills, and performance requirements, available materials, tools, The science of advanced combustion and efficiency which vary by altitude, cooking culture, fuel type, and traditional and skills. patterns of behavior. Great care was taken to engage with producers can be adapted to a defined cultural context using about consumers’ preferences, concerns, and their level of accep- the production skills and materials available in the tance and enthusiasm for the new stoves. local market The designers also recognized the need to ensure that the KG4 could be produced by local workshops. The challenge was how to Prioritizing user engagement. Successful design and adaptation retain all of the functions of the ideal prototype, while adapting it of HELE technologies depends on intensive engagement with users to rural Kyrgyzstan’s on-the-ground realities, considering locally to understand the local context: their needs, preferences, living available materials, tools, and skills. This required the technical conditions, operating capabilities, and access to competing fuels and assistance team to make an expert assessment of the capabilities of equipment. Apart from heating services, the cooking power, duration, local producers: what they could already do, what they could learn to and frequency must be studied and characterized. In the case of do, and what could reliably be rolled out within the pilot timeline. rural Kyrgyzstan, this stage took about a year to complete, during All sheet-metal parts were made using a computer-controlled which time production problems, localization, and cost issues were plasma-cutting contractor to ensure reliable dimensions and thus also addressed. performance. Producers without this machine could opt to use an Stimulating the industrial sector. A virtuous cycle of product artisan version of the drawings with small design changes so they development, test marketing, formal market expansion, cost reduc- could perform all operations manually. Producers with plasma-cut- tion, and quality improvements can be set in motion among indus- ting and metal-bending machines could make a bent-metal version, tries in cold-climate developing countries. In Kyrgyzstan, prototypes which required less welding. were developed in partnership with welders in the informal sector. Presently, at least four producers located in or near the capital Larger producers were attracted to participate in the pilot only after city of Bishkek have demonstrated the skills needed to produce the they understood the potential market and were shown first-hand HELE stoves to a satisfactory standard. Some of these have invested how well the products worked.1 Producers in or near the capital city in additional equipment to expand their production capacity. of Bishkek have demonstrated their ability to produce HELE stoves by 1 Demonstrations were required to convince those who believed coal could not be burned with low emissions. 6 B e y o n d t he L a s t M i le : P i l o t i n g H i g h - E f f i c i e n c y, L o w - E m i s s i o n s H e a t i n g Tech n o l o g i e s i n C e n t r a l A s i a attending pilot-supported technical training sessions and following What is the way forward? the open-source designs. Providing technical assistance for product design and If underserved households can switch to HELE development. Setting high targets for emissions, combustion, and heating stove technologies, the fuel savings, thermal efficiency can stimulate product development. In developing emissions reductions, and health benefits will be Switching 100 million countries where the capacity for research and development is rela- substantial households to the HELE tively low, technical assistance in open-source product design and development is essential. Partnering international experts with local An estimated 500 million people—about 100 million households— technologies would mean worldwide rely on traditional, solid fuel–fired (mainly coal) heating experts and producers has had, and can continue to have, profound annual reductions of and sustained impacts on improving local capacities. Among the keys stoves. Most of these households are located in remote rural areas 272 million tons of CO2, to upgrading local producers’ skills and enabling them to continue to beyond the reach of district heating and gas networks and are improve their services are design assistance; bidirectional knowledge unlikely to be connected in the near or medium term. A business- 2 million tons of PM2.5, transfer; and initial investments in prototypes, testing, casting as-usual scenario carries substantial negative implications for the and 0.46 million tons of national economy, household finances, public health, and the climate. patterns, and field installations. black carbon. The projects involved in this journey (Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, South The HELE technologies can offer currently underserved populations a Africa, Mongolia, and China) are leading by example. They are work- cost-effective, intermediate heating solution. ing closely with local partners and participating in such knowledge Assuming that the average household currently uses 2.5 tons exchanges as the South–South Knowledge Exchange Event held in of coal each year, switching to the HELE heating technologies could Beijing in April 2017 and the South-South Sustainable Stoves Group provide annual fuel savings of 40 percent and PM2.5 and black carbon (S4G), which meets every October at the China Agricultural University. reductions above 90 percent and 85 percent, respectively.2 Such a They also continue to share technical advances with other project switch will reduce annual emissions per household by 2.7 tons for teams and countries’ stakeholders. CO2, 20.5 kilograms for PM2.5, and 4.7 kilograms for black carbon. Switching 100 million households to the HELE technologies would mean annual reductions of 272 million tons of CO2, 2 million tons of PM2.5, and 0.46 million tons of black carbon. 2 These are conservative figures that assume an average baseline technology better than what was observed in the Central Asia region (table 2). 7 B e y o n d t he L a s t M i le : P i l o t i n g H i g h - E f f i c i e n c y, L o w - E m i s s i o n s H e a t i n g Tech n o l o g i e s i n C e n t r a l A s i a References ———. 2017b. “Project Appraisal Document of Kyrgyz MAKE FURTHER Gasparrini, Antonio, et al. 2015. “Mortality Risk Attributable to High Republic Heat Supply Improvement Project.” World Bank, CONNECTIONS Washington, DC. http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/ and Low Ambient Temperature: A Multicountry Observational en/292401509328823311/df/Kyrgyz-Heat-Supply-PAD-10102017. Study.” Lancet 386 (9991): 369–75. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/ Live Wire 2014/7. “Understanding the pdf. Differences Between Cookstoves,” by S0140-6736(14)62114-0. ———. 2019. Advancing Heating Services Beyond the Last Mile: Koffi Ekouevi, Kate Kennedy Freeman, van Gemert, Frederik, et al. Submitted. “Effects and Acceptability and Ruchi Soni. Central Asia Pilot Experience with High-Efficiency, Low-Emissions of Implementing Clean Cookstoves and Heaters to Reduce Heating Technologies. Washington, DC: World Bank. Live Wire 2015/46. “Results-Based Household Air Pollution: a FRESH AIR Study.” npj Primary Care https://openknowledge.worldbank.org/handle/10986/31282. Financing to Promote Clean Stoves: Respiratory Medicine. Initial Lessons from Pilots in China World Bank. 2017a. Clean Individual Heating Solutions in the Kyrgyz and Indonesia,” by Yabei Zhang and The information in this Live Wire comes from the technical report, Advancing Norma Adams. Republic and Tajikistan. Washington, DC: World Bank. Heating Services Beyond the Last Mile: Central Asia Pilot Experience with http://www.worldbank.org/en/news/video/2017/06/20/clean-in- High-Efficiency, Low-Emissions Heating Technologies, produced under Live Wire 2016/62. “Toward Universal dividual-heating-solutions-in-the-kyrgyz-republic-and-tajikistan. the Advisory Services and Analytics project, Clean and Efficient Heating Access to Clean Cooking and Heating: in Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan (https://openknowledge.worldbank.org/ Early Lessons from the East Asia and Pacific Clean Stove Initiative,” by handle/10986/31282). The authors are grateful to Gailius Draugelis, Yuriy Yabei Zhang and Norma Adams. Myroshnychenko, and Harold Annegarn (North-West University, South Africa), who peer reviewed the report. Financial and technical support was provided Live Wire 2016/63. “The Lao by the Energy Sector Management Assistance Program (ESMAP). Cookstove Experience: Redefining Health through Cleaner Energy Solutions,” by Rutu Dave and Rema N. Balasundaram. Live Wire 2016/64. “Universal or Contextual Design and Promotion of Clean Stoves? The Case of the Indonesia Clean Stove Initiative,” by Laurent Durix, Helene Carlsson Rex, and Veronica Mendizabal Joffre. Get Connected to Live Wire Live Wire briefs are The Live Wire series of online knowledge notes, an initiative of the World Bank Group’s designed for easy reading Energy and Extractives Global Practice, offers rich insights from project and analytical work on the screen and for done by the World Bank Group. downloading and self-printing “Live Wire is designed in color or black and white. Every day, Bank Group experts apply their knowledge and expertise to solve practical problems in for practitioners, policy client countries. 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