Household air pollution mitigation with integrated biomass/cookstove strategies in Western Kenya

Environmental Sustainability of Bioenergy Strategies in Western Kenya to Address Household Air Pollution

“…The present study is focused on analyzing the environmental performance of four bioenergy transition strategies for household cooking in the Kisumu County (Kenya), considering the importance of biomass local resources for addressing the resilience of communities in the developing country context. The study uses some of the results from a previous energy modelling study [26] as input data to conduct a dynamic LCA. Although the study does not measure the economic and social implications of the different transition scenarios, the design of the different scenarios for the environmental assessment is based on the premise that the efficient valorization and use of local biomass resources is an important waste management solution [31].…”

“…The Kenya Country Action Plan (CAP) for Clean Cookstoves and Fuels has established a target to promote the installation of cleaner cookstoves in 5 million households by 2020 [24]. With a thermal efficiency over two times higher than that achieved by improved cookstoves using wood-logs and sticks [25,26], advanced biomass cooking solutions such as micro-gasifier and biogas cookstoves can be key in technologies to address such clean cooking systems.…”

“…Various studies have been analyzed the impact of different energy transition options [8,27,28]. In Western Kenya, Carvalho et al [26] have applied the Long-Range Energy Alternative Planning (LEAP) software to analyze the energy savings and emissions caused by distinct bioenergy strategies on HAP in Kisumu County. The study was applied for the time span between 2015 and 2035, showing part of the environmental benefits of such strategies.…”

“…The study was applied for the time span between 2015 and 2035, showing part of the environmental benefits of such strategies. Although the previous energy modelling study [26] shows the HAP mitigation potential at the sub-national level, there is currently a limited number of studies assessing the overall environmental performance of these transitions in a life-cycle assessment (LCA) perspective.…”

“…In the present research, a dynamic LCA based data provided by a previous energy forecast study [26] is conducted to determine the environmental sustainability of emerging biomass cooking strategies in the Kisumu County (Western Kenya). Although most biomass cookstoves have not progressed to the point that they are equivalent to Liquefied Petroleum Gas in terms of efficiency and cleanliness in the household indoor environments [35], this study is confined to evaluate the advances in the local use of biomass resources in the context of renewable energy and bioeconomy transitions.…”