Benedicte Woodstoves VPA
When implementing our two CDM Projects we realised that biogas is not a technology that reaches out to the poorest of the poor since it need both, cattle as well as space close to their houses.
Therefore, we encouraged the Bagepalli Coolie Sangha to develop a Woodstoves CDM Project for poorer families. This project could be financed with loans that End User women take from their respective Coolie Credit Funds and repaid through the sale of GS CERs they generate from the second year onwards. The "Micro Scale Improved Cook Stove Project of Bagepalli Coolie Sangha" was registered in December 2012 with the UNFCCC and Gold Standard.
5,548 Chulika fuel efficient woodstoves distributed to 2,774 End User women.
| Year | End Users | Stoves | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 426 | 852 | 15% |
| 2013 | 465 | 929 | 17% |
| 2014 | 473 | 945 | 17% |
| 2015 | 1,395 | 2,790 | 50% |
| 2017 | 16 | 32 | 1% |
| Total | 2,774 | 5,548 |
Very poor women were enormously benefited since it reduced fuelwood usage by half. Since the portable Chulika stoves could be taken out of their single room tenements, smoke emissions were also largely reduced. Though a lot of learning was obtained, this project was not monitored as per PDD parameters and we were not able to verify CERs generated.
Benedicte Woodstoves Project
Towards the end of 2019 the Coolie Sangha decided to revive this activity to provide fuel efficient Woodstoves through a self-perpetuating rotating fund. They identified poor women without Biogas and conducted a demographic and energy usage survey.
- ADATS registered a climate project under an existing Programme of Activities (PoA), the "FCN GS PoA for Rural Communities — VPA-04" (GS 10466).
- A total investment of ₹ 3.08 crore to benefit 4,043 End User women will be kickstarted with an initial investment of ₹ 1.13 crore (36% of the total cost).
- 1,000 End User women will be assisted to install 1,500 fuel efficient woodstoves.
- Emission Reductions generated in the 1st and 2nd years will be verified by an UNFCCC accredited Carbon Auditor in the 3rd year and 4,373 tonnes will be issued into the GS registry.
- These Verified Emission Reductions (VERs) will be offered to those who want to compensate for their own GHG emissions to generate a revenue of ₹ 24.48 lakh.
- This Carbon Revenue will be used to assist another 818 women install 1,227 more stoves.
- The same process will continue 3 more times — i.e. carbon audit, issuance and sale in the 5th, 7th and 8th years of the project to assist another 887, 948 and 390 End User women respectively.
By the 9th year, we will reach a total of 4,043 End User women with 6,065 fuel efficient woodstoves.
Alf Bjørseth, a philanthropist from Norway, provided the initial investment of ₹ 1.13 crore under a charity he set up for his grandchild, Benedicte.
| Cost of 6,065 stoves | 1,39,51,494 | 45% |
| Annual share of Carbon Revenue to 4,043 End User Women | 1,00,96,000 | 33% |
| Verification cost & Issuance fees | 70,16,182 | 23% |
| Total | 3,10,63,676 | 100% |
| Benedicte Fund | 1,13,34,729 | 36% |
| Carbon Revenue | 1,97,28,947 | 54% |
As on 2 August 2024 we distributed 3,639 Greenway Stoves to 3,439 women in 318 villages and they have already generated 31,183 VERs.