ARC E-Newsletter 1/30/25: Improving Market Based Products to Reduce Wood Use and Emissions
Aprovecho Research Center
Improving Market Based Products to Reduce Wood Use and Emissions
A two dollar and fifty cent SSM adjustable pot skirt
Aprovecho staff travel around the world assisting stove projects. We experience that almost all biomass stoves in Low Middle Income Countries markets are sold for $10 USD or less. It seems to us that more expensive stoves are supported by carbon revenue, or sold in cities to the middle or upper classes.
Depending on carbon revenue works well when prices do not fall, or when events don’t restrict trade. Aprovecho has learned a lot about the carbon market and helps projects to make best use of opportunities.
Aprovecho also develops market-based products trying to create sustainable businesses independent of carbon. Dr. Winiarski was a great proponent of market-based solutions that reduce fuel use and harmful emissions. He pointed out that improved thermal efficiency can be added to traditional stoves sold in markets without increasing cost. Week-long Partnership for Clean Indoor Air seminars (2002-2012) in Asia and Africa reduced fuel use by an average of ~ 30% with simple changes.
The size of the combustion chamber in a charcoal stove has been shown to be the most significant factor in fuel use. Maybe reducing the size of the combustion chamber in a traditional charcoal stove currently being sold would end up saving fuel in real life? See: The influence of initial fuel load on Fuel to Cook for batch loaded charcoal cookstoves (Bentson et al, 2013)
The $2.50 USD SSM adjustable pot skirt has reduced fuel use by about 20% to 25%. Aprovecho hopes that factories/stakeholders can improve popular stoves by applying easy-to-teach changes.
There are many no extra cost improvements that are incremental first steps.
They tend to be affordable and market based, which made Dr. Winiarski happy.
Find the 2nd edition of "Clean Burning Biomass Cookstoves," resources, publications and information about our work at www.aprovecho.org
Find archived newsletters online at aprovecho.org/newsletters
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