Villagers in Kenya using biogas stoves

Local press is reporting that the NGO, Biogas Taita, is working with the community to reduce fuel costs and increase the use of the cleaner burning fuel.

The system uses anaerobic digestion to generate the gas, which is then used for cooking and heating in households. The project suffered from poor availability of information about biogas, with some families fearing that it was unsafe to use due to its homemade nature and lack of certification from the Energy Department.

After finding a household willing to participate, Biogas Taita, an NGO that promotes the use of biogas domestically and institutionally, offered to fund half of the project, with the gas company paying for some construction and materials, and the family paying the last 145,000 Kenyan Shillings (€1169).

The household reports that the digester has improved their lives by relieving them of the need to collect fuel. Now, they only need to make sure that the digester is fed with a mix of livestock, human and agricultural waste. They are now planning to sell their excess biogas to their neighbours.

Biogas Taita, as well as supporting the purchase and construction of digesters, also promotes the construction industry by providing training to local professionals. According to their website, the NGO is now focusing more on medium-scale biogas projects for facilities like schools, prisons and hospitals.