Displacing Unsustainable Biomass Use and Methodology Issues with Household Cookstoves under the CDM
R. Samson, C. Ho Lem, S. Bailey and M. Purdon, REAP Canada December 2005

Introduction
It is evident that household cookstoves play an important role in developing countries by improving GHG mitigation, energy availability, environmental quality, poverty alleviation, indoor air quality and overall quality of life for women and children. CDM procedures must facilitate the role of household cookers in clean development through continuously reviewing and revising the existing methodologies as capacity and interest develops around the issue.

Summary
As the issue of accounting for sustainable vs. unsustainable biomass under CDM continues, two methodology revisions for household stoves have been identified with the potential to resolve the dilemma for both project developers and the CDM Methodology Board.

The first issue is the lack of consideration for small household cookstoves under the
thermal energy for the user category. Originally, the installed capacity in this category was developed for technologies that operate continuously. However, improved household cookstoves are used intermittently through the day. The current limit when applied to household cookstoves, severely restricts the size of any project that can be developed and the ERAir Jordan 1