[Stoves] FW: [stove and climate] More mind-blowing insights from China

Sun Jul 22 14:02:50 CDT 2018

Dear Teddy and All

There seem to be three 'types' of charcoal: harvested to get rid of invasive species or as the result of improper grazing management, sustainable charcoal production as in South Africa and Rwanda, and unsustainable production where, in almost all cases, it is illegal‎.

The legality plays a major part in whether or not it is produced sustainably. If you want to make it destructive and out of control, make it illegal and take away the forest management rights of the local population. If you want sustainable production, legalise it and put the resource under the control of local communities.

With the 'gasification' ‎of China the situation is not analogous, but just as complicated. The banning of raw coal combustion in homes is quite common (not 'coal', 'raw coal'). Conversion to gas is anticipated and welcomed, but runs ahead of supply, which caused big problems this past winter (again). Coal burning small water heating low pressure boilers were removed and replaced with gas fired ones, we'll ahead of the gas arriving in the pipe. You can guess what happened.

If Hebei Province alone converted to gas, it would use 25% of the available supply for the entire country. Do the math.

So what needs to happen is the adoption of extremely clean burning coal heaters with at least a tiny amount of automation, and possibly the briquetting of the raw coal or treated coal, so the whole country can have acceptably clean air and ‎stay warm.

It would be encouraging if those who are aware of these coal burning technologies promoted them instead of supporting the use of gas appliances for which ‎there is no fuel. The alarmist claims about 'deaths from air pollution' are insufficient to sell 'freezing to death' (F2D) as a choice better than using modern coal burning systems.

Those promoting gas do not advocate using technologies from the 1890's. Why do they pretend that coal has to be burned that way?‎ They will end up looking pretty silly raging against technologies that no longer exist.

As for the legality, it is illegal to burn raw coal in Hebei Province, and 85% of users do. During the assessments of coal burning LPB's for the Hebei Clean Air Program, the cleanest product identified was a raw coal burning crossdraft ‎stove, cleaner than all semi-coke (treated, 'clean') fuels in all stove products. Obviously, the problem is not the fuel, it is the combustor.

If you are going to promote something, promote something that you can get.

Regards
Crispin

Thanks for sharing Paul - always interesting to hear about such large scale projects like this.

LPG is being pushed along by the Govt. of Kenya recently (http://www.kenyanews.go.ke/government-moves-to-avail-affordable-cooking-gas-to-kenyans/<https://nam05.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.kenyanews.go.ke%2Fgovernment-moves-to-avail-affordable-cooking-gas-to-kenyans%2F&data=02%7C01%7C%7Ca398b85506e9461c384a08d5efe2f319%7C84df9e7fe9f640afb435aaaaaaaaaaaa%7C1%7C0%7C636678680375118770&sdata=eMAsX4GA5G0iwIBDnfYiAZd9E0jiat8lubnDt%2FJG%2FnI%3D&reserved=0>) albeit with a few hiccups (https://www.businessdailyafrica.com/news/Kenya-cheap-gas-supply-rural-homes-safety-concerns/539546-4570216-miaop7z/index.html<https://nam05.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.businessdailyafrica.com%2Fnews%2FKenya-cheap-gas-supply-rural-homes-safety-concerns%2F539546-4570216-miaop7z%2Findex.html&data=02%7C01%7C%7Ca398b85506e9461c384a08d5efe2f319%7C84df9e7fe9f640afb435aaaaaaaaaaaa%7C1%7C0%7C636678680375118770&sdata=KgDYqCo1ZUcPo6Psey90FsGAnE97XkccaZczGYPRdYk%3D&reserved=0>) it seems that more and more people are cooking using gas then ever before. Stove stacking though seems to be as alive and well as ever even with the recent charcoal bans here. (and charcoal production, especially for clearing of new agricultural land seems to be going on as much as always https://www.facebook.com/EastAfricanBiomassEnergyPortal/posts/2011692142493297<https://nam05.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FEastAfricanBiomassEnergyPortal%2Fposts%2F2011692142493297&data=02%7C01%7C%7Ca398b85506e9461c384a08d5efe2f319%7C84df9e7fe9f640afb435aaaaaaaaaaaa%7C1%7C0%7C636678680375118770&sdata=k7SjqjP9fCE2K2m3YWJpwPGE0Vi92m2mSYiAfRyVnA4%3D&reserved=0>) It has been good to see that there has been more talk then ever before about managing forests better and growing more trees for the future charcoal demand in East Africa as seen here https://www.newvision.co.ug/new_vision/news/1481795/environment-committees-fight-charcoal-burning<https://nam05.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.newvision.co.ug%2Fnew_vision%2Fnews%2F1481795%2Fenvironment-committees-fight-charcoal-burning&data=02%7C01%7C%7Ca398b85506e9461c384a08d5efe2f319%7C84df9e7fe9f640afb435aaaaaaaaaaaa%7C1%7C0%7C636678680375118770&sdata=EDxVEVkz0ftazdxmNWQUcJeFzQuRWqpqqbnmWSIotCg%3D&reserved=0>

Speaking of charcoal in the news, also interesting to see the UK of all places with access to modern cooking methods being in the news for this - ''Is UK barbecue charcoal fuelling global deforestation?
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-44880398<https://nam05.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.bbc.co.uk%2Fnews%2Fscience-environment-44880398&data=02%7C01%7C%7Ca398b85506e9461c384a08d5efe2f319%7C84df9e7fe9f640afb435aaaaaaaaaaaa%7C1%7C0%7C636678680375118770&sdata=XKT2GYXFUn7dF4rmA2%2BZEh8dQx8WngI9jCTdvedOHjI%3D&reserved=0>''

Teddy

On Sun, Jul 22, 2018 at 3:18 PM, Anderson, Paul <psanders at ilstu.edu<mailto:psanders at ilstu.edu>> wrote:
Stovers,

Below is a message that Kirk Smith sent to his [Stove and Climate] list that I and some others are on.   VERY interesting!

Paul

From: Kirk R. SMITH <krksmith at berkeley.edu<mailto:krksmith at berkeley.edu>>
Sent: Sunday, July 22, 2018 12:34 AM
To: Kirk R. SMITH <krksmith at berkeley.edu<mailto:krksmith at berkeley.edu>>
Subject: [stove and climate] More mind-blowing insights from China

I just spent a week in China, repeating again the experience I have had in recent years – everything is changing rapidly and it is nigh impossible to keep up between visits.

With PKU colleagues, I visited the Jining area in Shandong Province, some 2.5 hours south of Beijing by fast train (300 km/h).  Even though 600 km away, Shandong is in the new air pollution control region for the northern plain area including Beijing established after the terrible episodes in 2013.    As part of a range of new measures to control ambient pollution, they are planning to introduce clean fuels to 80% of all coal/biomass-using households, which total some 1.1 million in the Jining area, in 3 years.   To date, some 70k have had gas (a few electricity) introduced and 160k more are planned before next winter.  This is not the rate they need, but they have plans to pick it up.  PKU has a project to evaluate less expensive alternatives, but currently the area mainly hopes to introduce gas and electricity.

This is actual natural gas, however, not LPG.  It was like witnessing something that I had always thought impossible (cows flying perhaps), to see villages with well-made natural gas pipelines supplying everyone – both for heating and cooking.    There must be a density of villages below which it does not pay to put in pipelines, but these villages were kilometers apart.  Interestingly, the pipelines are being put in by private companies, but the cost of fuel is subsidized by the government at present.  (We need to understand the economics better, also why LPG does not seem to be part of the program, although available now.)   They are already seeing potential constraints on gas supply given the expansion rates being contemplated, but seem to feel that this can be managed soon.

No stacking in evidence according to colleagues, although some households using electricity for heating kept temperatures low last winter (and wore more clothes) because they perceived costs of electricity to be high.  A kind of reversal of the usual practice of the poor having become used to once a year payment for a pile of coal, now see monthly bills as more expensive.  Even though, through subsidies on the power, the actual power cost is less.  Does not seem to be an issue with the gas.  It should be noted, however, that use of coal is officially illegal now if a village has gas or electric options, although hard to know how well this is enforced.

The mayor hosted us for dinner and waxed enthusiastic about the air pollution control program although complaining a bit that it takes one-third of his time and he continually gets pressure from the central government about progress.  Colleagues say that 10k (yes!) inspectors are now employed in the 26 subregions of the northern plain area by the central government to make sure the air pollution control measures are being taken up.

Ironic to say the least that household solid fuels are targeted because of outdoor air pollution (in Beijing 600 km away, actually) with no recognition of the pollution benefits to households – the mayor, for example, indicated no awareness of the HAP issue, although noting the social benefits of clean fuels.   But probably we should be happy nevertheless – any port in a storm as the English expression goes.

What a remarkable change and one, in its way, equal to the massive LPG program in India. /k

Kirk R. Smith, MPH, PhD <krksmith at berkeley.edu<mailto:krksmith at berkeley.edu>>
Professor of Global Environmental Health
University of California Berkeley, 94720-7360 USA
Director, Collaborative Clean Air Policy Centre, Delhi;  https://ccapc.org.in/<https://nam05.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fccapc.org.in%2F&data=02%7C01%7C%7Ca398b85506e9461c384a08d5efe2f319%7C84df9e7fe9f640afb435aaaaaaaaaaaa%7C1%7C0%7C636678680375275028&sdata=saAGuCuYzxzW5ofDWZz%2Bw1TYJiJc1akmFgObpxBteDU%3D&reserved=0>
Darbari Seth Block, India Habitat Centre, Lodhi Road, New Delhi, 110003
Delhi cell: (91) 99587 38713
http://www.kirkrsmith.org/<https://nam05.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.kirkrsmith.org%2F&data=02%7C01%7C%7Ca398b85506e9461c384a08d5efe2f319%7C84df9e7fe9f640afb435aaaaaaaaaaaa%7C1%7C0%7C636678680375275028&sdata=Dx5uwu%2Fq9l%2F1dgqGHoqgh1jMkQoJmkKgSXHiBiwA%2F5k%3D&reserved=0>

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