Use of “Jikos - Kenyan wood/charcoal cook stoves” as an alternative energy supply for mobile phone and battery charging in rural areas

Introduction

As the rural electrification rate in Kenya is very low, access to electricity to most rural households is a dream. This therefore means that accessing services such as mobile phone or battery charging which is of significant importance to the rural people is challenging. This is because of the difficulty in logistics for instance travelling for long distance in search of these services. In addition, these services are expensive to the rural folks whose income is less than a dollar per day (for example Kshs. 20 for charging a cell phone).

Despite these challenges, a number of players have introduced several technologies to provide these services to the rural folks in a reliable and cheap manner. These include the use of bicycles dynamo to charge phones, introduction of solar home systems in the rural areas and use of diesel electricity generators. However, access to these technologies is still very low and costly to most rural people (especially the solar home systems and diesel generators).

Case to consider

In rural Kenya, biomass accounts for about 90% of the primary energy needs primarily for cooking and heating. The biomass energy is mainly from firewood or charcoal through the use of traditional cooking stoves (three stone fire) or improved cook stoves (for example the Kenya Ceramic Jiko). The traditional cook stoves are however inefficient hence dissemination of efficient improved cook stoves should be up scaled in rural areas.

The improved cook stoves can also be enhanced through addition of low cost thermoelectric generators for generation of power (although small scale). The thermoelectric generators operate by converting the heat energy in the cook stove (during cooking) into electricity which could be used to charge mobile phones as well as batteries for lighting or powering radios/television sets (see illustration below).

The thermoelectric generator is a thermopile comprising a set of several units of semiconductors connected in parallel. Each semiconductor is made of two different materials similar to a thermocouple.  It operates on the principle of Thermoelectric effect (Seeback Effect) where temperature differences within the materials of the semiconductor results to electric voltage. The temperature differences in this case are created during the operation of the cook stove.  The power generated by the generator depends on the size of the thermopile i.e. the number of units making the thermopile and so is the cost.

 

The initial cost of an improved stove integrated with a thermoelectric generator will definitely be high for the rural folks. However, if compared to the current costs of mobile phone and battery charging as well as lighting, this technology is way cheaper in the long run. In addition, there are a number of benefits such as efficient utilization of fuel, reduced indoor pollution and reliable electricity supply for phone and battery charging and lighting.

Furthermore, due to fuel efficiency and providing alternative electricity in rural areas, this technology is effective for reduction of greenhouse gases hence an attractive technology for the clean development mechanism (CDM).

Chang’aa stoves (Alcohol/ethanol stoves)

Introduction
Kenya’s electrification rate is very low (at about 20% country wide, 51% in urban area and 4% in rural areas). As a result, majority of Kenyans (about 68%) rely on biomass (wood fuel and charcoal) for primary energy needs. This for sure has impact on our environment as a result of deforestation and carbon emissions due to unsustainable management of our forest cover (NB: Kenya has a forest cover of about 2% as opposed to the required 10% or more ).

Access to clean energy to most of vulnerable Kenyans is therefore a dream. This adds to the bigger basket of other socio-economic and health problems affecting our society. The question is: Will we ever reduce the burden of this basket? The answer to this question is absolutely YES. However, it requires our commitment and hard work. Furthermore, the solutions are with us and we should therefore not rely on anybody to bail us out.

Case to consider “a case of Chang’aa stove”

Ethanol or alcohol stoves have been developed and implemented in other parts of world for example in India (which should be one of our first role models in development). Such stoves have a big potential of mitigating the twin problem of drinking as well as clean cooking for those who are not accessing electricity or cannot afford LPG. In addition, ethanol stoves do not require high grade ethanol in order to operate and they are easy to operate. The only problem is the high unit cost which can surely be lowered down in case they are produced in mass.

Kenya has been grappling with myriad of problems regarding illicit brew for a very long time and unfortunately the problems mainly affect the poor who also lack clean energy services among other basic services.

Production of chang'aa - dirty and illegal

One way of mitigating this problem is finding a way of diverting the illicit alcohol (Chang’aa) from the people. This may be possible through the introduction of Chang’aa stoves which on one hand will reduce the alcohol available to people and on the other hand creating job opportunities (production and selling of stoves and chang’aa fuel in a commercial and civilized manner).

This is a very weird proposal but in my opinion such ideas are required in Kenya. Ideas, though borrowed from elsewhere, are tailored to fit to the society. By the way, they may render Mututho to revise his stringent Mututho rules (i.e. Alcoholic Drinks Control Act 2010 regulations).

Clean and civilized production of Chang'aa

Ethanol stove (source: Nimbkar Agricultural Research Institute (NARI))