[Stoves] NY Times article on what fuel poor need.

Roger Samson rogerenroute at yahoo.ca
Thu Dec 5 12:07:53 CST 2013


 
The best way to identify the cooking needs of poor people is to ask them after spending considerable time with them in the field to understand their situation (ie to understand the cooking problem intimately and then brainstorm solutions together)
 
This supposition that we have to cook indoors in much of the developing world is something that should be debated widely. In the western world we don't warm up our cars for extended periods in our house as we all agree this is poor for our health. Can we all recognize that it is a much better idea to run combustion appliances for cooking in an outdoor environment(especially in the tropics). 
 
 
The poor affordability and replicability of "high tech" stoves and fuels is a serious development barrier. Cooking outdoors (especially in rural areas) with appropriate local and low cost improved stoves and fuels is the most sustainable approach to address the health impacts of cooking. We need to combine improved cookstoves with a cooking environment that does not have stagnant air (ie one that recycles particulates or doesn't allow for particle dispersion). Cooking outdoors in rural areas has no ambient air impacts on communities so let's just do it. We are promoting this concept in west africa with the REAP clay brick stove known locally as the Noflay or "no problem" stove in the region. 
 
The health impact is a function of the technology x cooking time x environment in which the cooking is performed. 
We can express it in an equation form as H=T (technology) xT (time of exposure) x E(environment) in which the cooking is performed.  
 
 
All the best
 
Roger Samson
REAP-Canada
http://www.reap-canada.com/
 
 


________________________________
From: Ronal W. Larson <rongretlarson at comcast.net>
To: Discussion of biomass <stoves at lists.bioenergylists.org> 
Sent: Thursday, December 5, 2013 11:55:31 AM
Subject: Re: [Stoves] NY Times article on what fuel poor need.



Rogerio etal

   Brazil is going to be leading the way on biofuels of all types.  In addition to ethanol (from sugar cane?), there are numerous plant species producing oily seeds that can be pressed.   From time to time we have had seed oil proponents on this list.  We have had several for ethanol stoves

   I had in mind also the use of all sorts of liquid fuels that can be produced from pyrolysis - with a biochar co-product, so we can accomplish some CDR (carbon dioxide removal).

   Liquid fuels can burn very cleanly and are nicely controllable.

Ron


On Dec 5, 2013, at 8:51 AM, Rogerio carneiro de miranda <carneirodemiranda at gmail.com> wrote:

Agreeing with Ron. 
>
>
>Liquid biofuels, and specially ethanol can be an alternative cooking and lighting fuel, either produced at large scale or at the community level with micro-distilleries.
>
>
>Project Gaia have demonstrated to me an efficient ethanol cookstove and also an ethanol lamp, and I have seeing here ethanol power generators in operation.
>
>
>Here in Brazil ethanol produced at farm level can be around US$ 0,50 per liter
>
>
>Rogério
>
>
>
>2013/12/4 Ronal W. Larson <rongretlarson at comcast.net>
>
>Nari and list: 
>>
>>
>>  1.   I write to disagree with your conclusion on fossil fuels.   They are “best” (in several senses, not including being cheaper) mainly because their externality costs are borne by all of society.
>>
>>
>>   2.  I was surprised at first to see this view attributed to the NY Times.  This was the view of Bjorne Lomborg who claims not to be a climate skeptic - but sure writes like one.
>>
>>
>>   3.  I do agree that kerosene has many advantages to go with their disadvantages.  A way to move to a majority of advantages is to call for liquid fuels rather than fossil fuels.    These can have a biomass origin, and (especially in rural areas) can also be cheaper.
>>
>>
>>Ron
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>On Dec 4, 2013, at 6:23 PM, nari phaltan <nariphaltan at gmail.com> wrote:
>>
>>Hi stovers,
>>>
>>>
>>>A recent NYT article echoes what we have observed while working with rural poor in India - they need excellent and convenient fuel for cooking and lighting. Sometimes fossil fuels are the best. www.nariphaltan.org/kerosene.pdf 
>>>
>>>
>>>Here is the NYT article; http://www.nytimes.com/2013/12/04/opinion/the-poor-need-cheap-fossil-fuels.html?hp&rref=opinion
>>>
>>>
>>>Cheers.
>>>
>>>
>>>Anil
>>> Nimbkar Agricultural Research Institute (NARI)
>>>Tambmal, Phaltan-Lonand Road
>>>P.O.Box 44
>>>Phaltan-415523, Maharashtra, India
>>>Ph:91-2166-222396/220945/222842
>>>mailto:e-mail%3Anariphaltan at gmail.com
>>>           nariphaltan at nariphaltan.org
>>>
>>>http://www.nariphaltan.org/
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