IEA: By 2040, SSA will see a 40% increase in bioenergy consumption and a burgeoning $70 billion USD industry.
Studies
SCIENCE: Facts & Fiction About Charcoal in Developing Countries
If you think charcoal is only used by the poor in developing countries, or that its use for cooking will decrease over time, or that charcoal production causes deforestation, or the charcoal sector is economically irrelevant, or that improved cookstoves mitigate deforestation and GHG emissions… think again.
Weekend reading: Focus on Cookstove Fuels
Ned Starck is rumored to have said, “Winter is coming. And every home needs a good stove. And every stove needs good fuel.”
WASHplus Update focuses on fuel “stacking”
In this issue of WASHplus Weekly, the focus is on fuel “stacking,” which is the use of multiple fuels/stoves at one time. Stacking is a complex factor that influences the adoption and use of cookstoves. In many households, traditional stoves are used at the same time as improved cookstoves, or the different stoves may be used for different foods. Evidence points to the simultaneous use of different fuel regardless of income levels. Households continue to use different fuels as their incomes rise, and they do not immediately abandon the use of fuelwood. Other factors, such as reliability of supply, safety, and taste preferences of food cooked using fuelwood, may be factors under consideration by households.
Major killer for women & children in developing world: inefficient cookstoves
Study indicates that the number of victims from the “silent killer in the kitchen” is double that of previous estimates. Indoor air pollution kills more than diarrhea, malaria, tuberculosis, and HIV… combined.