Back to the Green Island with Efficient Solar Stoves in Madagascar
In order to reduce CO2 and counter the rapid deforestation in Madagascar, myclimate supports the manufacture and distribution of efficient cookers and climate-friendly solar cookers. The sensibilization of pupils about environmental protection and climate-friendly cooking as well as the reforestation of one seedling per cookstove sold are part of this project.
The zero-emission solar cookers project
Our partner myclimate has teamed up with the Swiss-Madagascan organization ADES (Association pour le Développement de l'Energy Solaire). ADES has been producing solar cookers in Madagascar since 2002 and selling them at a reduced price to local households. Since 2010, the project has expanded its activities to the entire island and included also efficient cookstove models that perfectly complement the use of solar cookers if the sun is not shining.
Today ADES offers a portfolio of nine different solar and efficient cookstove models for households as well as for institutional and commercial clients such as schools, children's homes, and hospitals. The project operates stove production and distribution centers all over the island to serve customers in Madagascar. Since 2017 a truck has been on the road serving as a mobile promotional and information center in primarily rural areas in the north of Madagascar.
The environmental education program
ADES is currently setting up various events to increase the population's awareness of environmental and health protection, eating healthily and fuel-efficient cooking. With an innovative environmental education program, ADES is bringing school children and their teachers closer to their native flora and fauna and motivating them to act in an environmentally friendly way.
The climate-friendly cookers save up to 50 percent of charcoal or firewood consumption resulting in valuable monetary savings for the household’s budget or time savings and less frequent gathering of firewood. Especially women and children benefit from the zero-emission solar cookers or cleaner combustion of efficient cookers due to less exposure to smoke during cooking.
The dissemination of efficient and solar cookstoves is an effective means to combat the quickly advancing deforestation in Madagascar and to reduce CO2 emissions from the use of non-renewable biomass. Additionally, ADES finances one tree for reforestation each time a cook stove gets sold.
"My grandmother says, Madagascar used to be a green Island. Today, it is a red island."
Constant technical improvements
The solar cookers are ideal to prepare traditional Madagascan food such as rice, corn, manioc, meat soup or chicken. However, this new way of cooking requires a change in cooking habits. For this ADES carries out special training and awareness-building programmes to ensure appropriate and convenient use of the solar cooking technology.
Since 2017, biomass instead of firewood gets used for firing the combustion chambers. These so-called artemisia briquettes are one meter long, weigh 10 kilograms and are made of the remaining biomass of the production process of antimalarial drugs. Together with the introduction of a semi-industrial production, the energy efficient cookstoves can not only be produced more climate-friendly but also in a more efficient way and in better quality.
