Ghana

ASSIST: Tracking Cookstove Sales in Ghana with RapidSMS

15 December 2009 - 1:32pm

Michael Benedict, December, 2009

Toyola Energy Limited has been making efficient charcoal burning stoves, and selling theme in markets and door-to-door by Toyola “evangelists”, individuals who record each sale in a notebook and then are paid on commission. With 50,000 stoves projected to be sold this year and double that possible in 2010, the paper records are becoming increasingly difficult to maintain. Over the past six months Michael has been working with Toyola and E+Co, a US-based non-profit investment company investing in Toyola, to develop an SMS-based recordkeeping system for their stove sales.

Read the full article at http://thebenedict.wordpress.com

Ghana

TED Talks: Amy Smith Discusses Charcoal From Bagasse in Haiti and Corncobs in Ghana (Video or Podcast)

10 September 2006 - 12:16pm

Smith, Amy

TEDTALK: AMY SMITH
TED Technology Entertainment Design, BMW, 2006

"MIT engineer Amy Smith designs ingenious low-cost devices to tackle tough problems in developing countries. She received a MacArthur "Genius" Grant in 2004, and was the first woman to win MIT's famed Lemelson Prize. In this talk, she explains the vision behind her inventions, which include eco-friendly charcoal and a laboratory incubator that doesn't require electricity. (Recorded February 2006 in Monterey, CA. Duration: 15:48)"

Gyapa Stove in Ghana

25 September 2005 - 5:31pm

EnterpriseWorks/VITA (EWV)

The Gyapa stove is a stove that EnterpriseWorks/VITA (EWV) brought to Ghana with the help of the Shell Foundation and USAID.

Wood or Charcoal, which is better?

21 December 2006 - 10:05am

Wood or charcoal - which is better?
J.D. Keita is Regional Forestry Officer at the FAO Regional Office for Africa, Accra, Ghana.
FAO (Unasylva 157-158)

CO/CO2 Ratio in the Charcoal Stoves Tested at Aprovecho

24 June 2006 - 9:17am

Still

CO/CO2 Ratio in the Charcoal Stoves Tested at Aprovecho (pdf)
Dean Still, Aprovecho Research Center, June 23, 2006

The following graph plots the levels of CO and CO2 during one test each of the charcoal burning rocket stove and Jiko-type charcoal stove from Ghana. A higher level of CO2 suggests a higher burn rate of fuel.

It can be seen that even though the CO level for the rocket drops below 10 ppm, the CO2 level remains high suggesting a high firepower continues. The Ghana charcoal stove has a lower level of CO2 with a considerably higher level of CO.

Comparing the Charcoal Burning Rocket and Jiko Stoves

22 June 2006 - 6:04pm

Still

MacCarty

Comparing the Charcoal Burning Rocket and Jiko Stoves (pdf)
Dean Still and Nordica MacCarty, Aprovecho Research Center, June 22nd, 2006

The charcoal Rocket Stove was compared to the Jiko-type charcoal stove sent from Ghana. 600 grams of Kingsford charcoal was placed in the stoves under the Aprovecho emissions hood. One test was performed on each stove for preliminary studies. The stoves are compared in the following graph for carbon monoxide emissions during a cooking task (to boil 5L of water and simmer 30 minutes).

Ghana Household Energy Project

17 April 2006 - 8:25pm

Ghana Household Energy Project
Enterprise Works/VITA 2002-2005

Ghana

Gyapa

Charcoal

Ten top tips for successful scaling up

16 April 2006 - 12:14pm

Brewis

Ten top tips for successful scaling up
Alan Brewis, Enterprise Works 2005

Practical Action Boilng Point Issue 50 2005

Please read the whole article for the details. Every tips has great detail that will save you hours of work.

The premise: in creating a successful stoves scale up - you need to create a supply chain of successful stoves manufacturers and retail businesses, as well as people who will be able to maintain and fix the stoves (even when they are imported from elsewhere).

the tips:

Don't tell the customer that you are from an NGO
Know your customers and their habits
Copy good ideas from the private sector - e.g. manufacturing, branding and marketing tips
Give the stove status and style
Balance demand creation with supply
Pay attention to quality control
Treat your retailers well
Pay your sales agents on a commission basis
Beware of projects bearing your stoves as gifts. This undercuts your hardworking retail outlets
Use your stove on a regular basis, using your stove to cook on will help you educate your customers and improve your stoves