Biomass

ACTION PLAN: Biomass

The participants of this workshop discussed and explored different ways for the sustainable use of biomass energy. Below is a record of that workshop as well as an actual proposal (PDF file), which has now been agreed and finalised.

The workshop opened with a Strategic Focus Question:

What strategies can we put in place to widen access for more sustainable energy options?

Some Areas of Concern:

	Biomass energy conservation
	Approved livelihood of poor people
	Reduction of indoor air pollution
	Gender consideration
	Pricing issues for alternatives
	How to move masses to alternative renewable energy
	Income generation
	Improved stoves
	Policy issues
	Behavioural

Some Areas of Success: Identified Key Success Factors

	Meeting the needs of the people and matching those needs with sustainability
	Participation of all stakeholders
	Ownership by stakeholders
	Appropriate biomass technology (affordability, short payback, ecologically friendly, functionality)
	Low cost and professionalism through strategic alliances
	Integration of existing formal an d informal structures
	Income generation/commercial approach
	Organised group
	Resource/support institutions

Vision Workshop

Focus Question: What do we want to see in place over the next years?

Fuel Switching	Clean Energy & Efficient Housing Design	Improved Biomass Energy Efficiency	Improved Forest Management	Enhanced Capacity Building
Availability of clean and sustainable source of energy	Improved ventilation	Efficient transformation process (Improved kilns)	Sustainable wood lots	Provision of adequate training
Renewable sources of energy	Improved smoke extraction methods	Efficient fuel devices for household stoves	Improved natural forest management	Effective information dissemination
Access to clean and efficient fossil fuels	Enhanced local of fireplace	Efficient fuel devices for SMEs (e.g. street restaurant, brewing)		Focused research
	Increased care space	Recycling biomass waste for energy

Action Areas:

Knowledge & Information Services & Capacity Building

Lobbying & Influencing Policies

Cooperation & Networking

Research

Commercialisation & Scaling Up

Offer gender and technology training to raise profile of biomass energy

Take decision makers on exposure visits showcasing best practices

Organize and carry out a symposium of sustainable biomass energy use in African sub-regions

	SADC-IGAAT
	CILSS-ECOWAS

Further research on implication on HIV/AIDS on biomass energy use and vice versa

Scale up production and commercialisation

Incorporate gender analysis and benefits

Change advocacy for greater biomass considerations and financing

Create a Multi-Stakeholder Forum in sub-Saharan Africa to promote sustainable biomass use

Carry out further research on indoor air pollution. Scale up interventions

Modernize and standardize designs of energy efficient technologies

Offer training courses on sustainable biomass energy levels of expertise

Enlighten donor agencies to realise time required for having biomass best practices

Create mechanisms to increase synergy between existing networks

Carry out research eg. Socio-economic and environmental impact analysis

Organise experience exchange between stakeholders
- production and marketing level

Promote technologies

Carry awareness campaigns targeting both decision makers and users on improved biomass energy technology

Demonstrate and disseminate best practice models

Create a comprehensive and interactive database on biomass energy

Influence governments to set up full time inter-biomass energy units

Create information technology database

	technologies
	techniques
	success stories
	training tools

Integrated biomass into the energy planning process - energy balanced

Underlying Contradictions

Under-valuation of Women’s Contribution	Non Conducive Enabling Environment	Poor Promotion & Marketing Strategies	Insufficient Research & Information Dissemination	Insufficient Capacity & Skills	Complex & Long Term Process
Biomass energy not prestigious	Lack of conducive environment (policy, institutions, financing, capacity building)	No breakthrough (massive use of improved stoves) makes decision makers tired	Insufficient data on biomass energy	Inadequate skills among stakeholders	No one biomass solution exists for all applications
Inadequate integration in regard to impacts and benefits of biomass energy utilization	Marginalisation of biomass energy issues by decision makers at all levels	Success stories not enough marketed (eg Upesi Stoves – West Kenya)	Knowledge and information not reaching target groups	Inadequate expertise on biomass energy	Length of time require to shift on tradition
Women’s labour for energy provision use is undervalued	Insufficient public budget targets to biomass sector	Lack of awareness of efficient biomass usage	More scientific needed evidence to address indoor air pollution issues	No driving force within one sector (biomass is a cross-sector issue)
Biomass not properly valued	Underestimation of the complexity of the sector
Poverty among biomass energy users

Biomass Action Plan

Issue 1: a) Scaling up of Production and Marketing of Improved Energy Technologies

b) Increased production use and use of mature biomass technologies

Activity	Time-Frame	Partners	Support	Funders/ Donors
1) · Identify needs of poor communities · Identify & share information on mature improved technologies (e.g. stoves, kilns) · Carry out economic social and environmental analysis and impact assessment · Select and suggest best technology options according to context · Develop strategies and mechanisms for scaling up product, producers, marketing channels, quality control, support mechanisms such as financing incentives · Pilot the strategies selected · Organise and support commercialisation of improved biomass energy technology · Impact monitoring particularly indoor air pollution 2) · Promote energy efficient technologies for SMEs · Identify and evaluate potential of waste to energy in rural and urban areas · Needs assessment identify technology options and possible aid carry out feasibility study · Implement the Interaction in selected areas · Development strategies for commercialisation and scaling up	6 months 6 months 6 months 3 months 12 months 48 months 9 months 6 months 24 months 36 months	ITDG, ProBEC Smail Khennas ITDG & Universities (SIA) SIRDC/ETI (Zimbabwe) BOTEC (Botswana) CARMATEC GTZ) Multi-stakeholder Forum Northern Partners	University	Bilateral funds, DANIDA, SIDA, Ford Foundation, EU, World Bank, JICA, Shell Foundation

Issue 2: Lobbying and Influencing Policies

Activity	Time-Frame	Partners	Funders/Donors
1) Fully integrate biomass into the energy planning process (energy balances) - develop criteria for assessment - Approach national governments through SADC/SADC CONTRACT POINTS to assess the level of biomass energy integration - Write report - Develop way forward 2) Demonstrate & disseminate best practice models - adopt criteria developed from best practices group at IC - have competition on best practice according to criteria defined - evaluate projects submitted 3) Enlighten donor agencies to realize time required is one of the criteria for best practice and when publish best practice (donors) are specifically addressed) 4) Take decision makers (governments and donors on exposure visits showing best practice) - discuss results of energy assessment and budget allocation with the government - sensitise on disparities between percentage share of biomass in the energy public budget allocation 5) Enhance advocacy for greater biomass considerations and financial support (national governments and donors) - take decision makers - address subject a national, regional and international conferences 6) Influence governments to set up full-time inter-biomass energy units	6 months 1 year	ProBEC ENERGIA ENERGIA	Dutch, EU, SIDA Dutch, EU, SIDA

Issue 3: Capacity Building

Indicators: 1) Increased Biomass Energy Awareness at User Level
2) Better Biomass Skills and Producer and Retailer Level
3) Biomass Knowledge at Trainer Level

Incorporation of Gender Issues at ALL Levels

Activity	Time-Frame	Partners	Support Needed	Possible Funding Partners
1.1 Create and update a comprehensive and interactive IT database on: - technologies, training tools (marketing, quality control etc.) - socio-economic, gender issues, key partners	From 2002 onwards	Sparknet/Hedon/ ITDG/GTZ-ProBEC	Budget for: - Biomass IT specialist - Partner review meeting - Data Collection	EU
1.2 Finalise database at Hedon meeting	27-28^th August ‘02	Spartknet/ Hedon
1.3 Lobby for additional funds	By end 2002		.
2. Training of Biomass issues	From 2003 onwards	GTZ/ITDG sub-regional training institutions	Training funds for materials, venue etc	DFID, Dutch Government, National Governments
3. Initiate discussions with Ministry of Education to include Biomass Energy issues in the Curricula development in primary, secondary vocational training	From 2003	AFREPREN/ Sparknet/ITDG

Proposal: Scaling-up of Sustainable Biomass Energy Management Systems in sub-Saharan Africa

This is a final approved collaborative proposal between GTZ-ProBEC and ITDG, which came about as one of the outputs of the Workshop. Click here for the PDF file (163 KB).

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