In yet another instance of private initiative in the crucial area of public health, two companies have come together to build clean, efficient stoves for rural India. Envirofit and Shell Foundation have brought to the Indian market biomass cooking stoves that reduce the amount of biomass, cooking time and polluting emissions.
It is estimated that Indoor Air Pollution (IAP) in India resulting from burning biomass for cooking claims as many as 500,000 lives every year. The Envirofit cookstoves seek to address these serious problems in addition to increasing efficiency, said Martha Kohlhagen, director of sales, Envirofit.
This is done by addressing the design and material of the stove. Using a kind of ceramic that can withstand the hot and cold temperature differences, and by controlling air in the combustion process, the burning of biomass can be made more complete.
The carbon monoxide emissions, which are most toxic, have been reduced by almost 80%. By converting it into carbon dioxide which can be used up by plants, the stove is carbon neutral, explained a research spokesperson. The cooking time has been cut down by an hour, he said.
Envirofit is introducing the cookstoves initially in Tamil Nadu and Karnataka and plans to target the whole country by 2010, eventually developing this into a self sustaining business model. By 2010, Envirofit aims to sell 5 million stoves worldwide, Martha added. Based on the Indian model it would replicate the project in latin America, Asia, Africa, etc. These stoves are a result of over five years of research and testing in coordination with academic institutions.
Available in 5 models and priced between Rs 500 and Rs 2000, these stoves have already successfully undergone pilot testing in Chitradurga and Dharmapuri. Certified under the most stringent environmental testing conditions in the USA, the cookstoves are currently awaiting BIS certification.
Envirofit’s aim is to develop local and regional enterprises through the channel network so that the business becomes self sustaining. “There are an estimated 1.6 million deaths per year due to toxic IAP. We are proud to be partnered with Envirofit International to introduce clean-burning wood stove technology in India while employing the first market-based business model,” said Ajit Abraham, Shell Foundation India, who supports the project as part of their Breathing Space Program. ”The aim is to see 10 million stoves sold in five countries in the next five years.”
Established by Shell Group in 2000 as an independent, UK registered charity, Shell Foundation’s mission is to develop, scale-up and promote enterprise-based solutions to the challenges arising from the impact of energy and globalisation on poverty and the environment. The Breathing Space Program aims to achieve a long-term reduction in deaths related to IAP.
Envirofit is a US based non profit corporation that designs, manufactures and markets engineered technology products.
