The gasifier stove needs significantly less wood in comparison to traditional ways of cooking.
Using a traditional fireplace creates smoke gases which are harmful to human health. Especially women and children often suffer from respiratory problems.
In comparison to traditional cook stoves, the gasification process creates a clean flame without smoke gases und leads at the same time to the production of charcoal, which the users can sell or use for themselves.
The stoves are assembled in the local factory.
A user is preparing the meal on the gasifier stove. On the bottom of the stove, the produced charcoal is collected.
The charcoal is bought by the project and creates an additional income next to the savings due to reduced fire wood consumption.
A charcoal chain was established in order to sell the charcoal to smaller companies and restaurants. Thereby, new jobs are created in the region.
The Sundarbans in West Bengal are the world’s largest mangrove ecosystem. The dissemination of gasifier stoves helps to reduce the wood demand in the project regions.

Summary

Total savings :600,000 tonnes of CO₂ per year in two projects
Technology transfer :Wood gas stoves allow for efficient and smoke-free cooking and also produce charcoal
Local environment :Conservation of mangrove forests, biodiversity including the Bengal Tiger
Further advantages :Fewer expenses for household energy, less respiratory diseases by smokeless cooking, faster cooking, charcoal generated in stoves can be used or sold
Local partners :Sapient (small company from Kolkata)

Mangroves as natural barrier against rising sea level

atmosfair supports the large-scale dissemination of wood gas stoves, a new technology, with great success.

In West Bengal, one of the two project areas, the globally largest extensions of mangrove forests are found, representing a natural barrier against storms and rising sea levels. These forests are under severe pressure due to population growth and increasing consumption of firewood, with negative consequences for biodiversity and livelihoods of local people.

The second project area is located in Assam, best known for its ample tea plantations.

Forest conservation through efficient cook stoves

Since 2012, atmosfair subsidizes the sale of highly efficient wood gas stoves that reduce firewood consumption by 50%. To make sure that the new technology suits the needs of local users, it has been adapted in several pilot activities. Moreover, each user receives training by local project assistants at his home before finally buying the stove.

Two Gold Standard Microscale projekts had been registered so far and are now being extended by a CDM Gold Standard project.

Additional income and additional savings

Cooking on a wood gas flame is just as comfortable as cooking on a LPG stove, with no smoke and a very stable flame. The process of wood gasification also generates charcoal as a by-product which can be used by the households or sold. The projects offers to buy the charcoal back from households and then provides it to users of conventional charcoal like barbecue restaurants, which allows for additional CO2 savings.

Due to the reduced expenses for firewood and the revenues from charcoal sales, households can quickly recover the expenses for the stove. This improves the economic situation of locals and simultaneously prevents the destruction of the Bengal Tiger’s habitat.

Ýour contact at atmosfair

Dr. Katrin Mikolajewski
Deputy Team Leader Certified Projects
Dipl. Geographer
+49 (0) 30 120 84 80 - 61