INDIVIDUAL ASSIGNMENT:

The Clean Development Mechanism and Solar Cooking

Kyle Armin Walbeck

15736989
An assignment submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of:

PGD (Sustainable Development)

29 August 2016

School of Public Leadership

Sustainable Development
www.spl.sun.ac.za

Centre for Renewable and Sustainable Energy Studies
www.crses.sun.ac.za

Sustainability Institute
www.sustainabilityinstitute.net

School of Public Leadership, AI Perold Building, Stellenbosch, 7600 South Africa

Dr Josephine K Musango Tel: +27 (0) 21 808 4338
E-mail: josephine.musango@spl.sun.ac.za

Table of Contents
Introduction .................................................................................................................... Page 1
CDM and the Kyoto Protocol ......................................................................................... Page 1
Solar Cookers ................................................................................................................... Page
Registered solar cooking CDM projects............................................................................ Page
Ningxia Federal Solar Cooker Project - China ............................................... Page
Gadhai Solar Energy Systems - India ............................................................ Page
Challenges to solar cooking .............................................................................................. Page
The finance challenge .................................................................................... Page
Social acceptance .......................................................................................... Page
Thermal storage ............................................................................................. Page
Conclusion ........................................................................................................................ Page
List of references .............................................................................................................. Page
Addendum A ..................................................................................................................... Page

List of Figures

ii

List of Tables

iii

List of acronyms and abbreviations

CDM
COP21
TES
UNFCCC

Clean Development Mechanism

21st Congress of the Parties
Thermal Energy Storage
United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change

iv


Question 1
Introduction
Cooking comprises of the greatest source of energy consumption across the developing
world. In certain Africa countries it may comprise of as much as 50% 90% of all energy
needs (Nandwani 1996; Schwarzer, Eugenia & da Silva 2007). With particular reference to
areas across Asia and Africa where electricity access is incredibly poor, alternative sources
of heat energy generation to electrical energy are utilised.
The new global agenda that has been established under the sustainable development goals
as well as the outcomes of COP21 hold the potential to significantly contribute to the future
of the technology. As policy makers look to ecologically friendly and alternative means to
meet the energy demands of the developing world, solar cookers must be considered.
This paper shall add to the literature on a clean alternative fuel source, solar cookers. An
assessment of the dominant forms of solar cookers shall be provided as well as a brief
comparison to solar ovens. The paper shall provide a brief argument in favour of the use of
solar cookers in combination with examples of the technology.
The paper will provide insight into solar cooking projects that have been unlocked through
the United nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) financing tool, the
Clean Development Mechanism (CDM). The paper shall provide examples of successful
projects that have been enabled through the use of CDM as well as look to the future of
global initiatives similar in the wake of COP21.
There are still significant barriers to wider adoption of the technology. However, with such
abundance in the solar resource available to many impoverished inhabitants of the
developing world, this paper will look to highlight the issues that have prevented widespread
adoption of solar cooking.
CDM and the Kyoto protocol
The clean development mechanism (CDM) was a tool derived out of the Kyoto Protocol in
order to provide financing to projects that were able to offset global carbon emissions
(Tucker 1999).

Solar cookers
The method of solar cooking is method of
adequately heating food by means of utilizing the
direct normal irradiance of the sun in o (Schwarzer,
Eugenia & da Silva 2007).
The challenges associated with global poverty,
resource use and deforestation amongst many
others culminate in a challenge resulting from the
requirement of heat energy across growing rural
populations, predominantly in Africa and Asia.

Figure 1: Four common designs of solar cookers

Source: (Schwarzer, Eugenia & da Silva 2007)
CDM and solar cooking
Since the inception of CDM in 2005 there has been a total of 18 solar cooking projects that
have been registered by the UNFCCC and awarded funding. The projects have attracted a
total of US$32.7 million of investment from the UNFCCC and have stated aims to offset a
total of 1,417 million tonnes of CO2 emissions per annum (UNFCCC 2016).

Registered solar cooking CDM projects

Ningxia Federal Solar Cooker Project - China

Gadhai Solar Energy Systems - India

Challenges to solar cooking

The finance challenge

Social acceptance

Thermal storage

Conclusion


List of references
Tucker, M. 1999. Can solar cooking save the forests?. Ecologicla Economics. 31(1999). 7789.
Muthusivagami, R.M., Velraj, R. and Sethumadhavan, R. 2010. Solar cookers with and
without thermal storage A review. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews. 14 (2010).
691 701.
Nandwani, S. 1996. Solar cookers cheap technology with high ecological benefits.
Ecological Economics. 17(1996). 73-81.
Wentzel, M. and Pouris, A. 2007. The development impact of solar cookers: A review of
solar cooking impact in South Africa. Energy Policy. 35 (2007). 1909-1919.
Schwarzer, K. and Viera da Silva, M.E. 2008. Charecterisation and design methods of solar
cookers. Solar Energy. 82(2008). 157-163.