Project Detail

MITIGATING GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS OF RICE MILLS & ENGINES THROUGH THE USE OF RENEWABLE ENERGY RESOURCES

The project is an undertaking to develop technological systems in the community that will create local solutions to local problems while at the same time creating relevance for the entire country or any part of the world with similar conditions.

Aside from developing the systems from among the local inventors, technicians and designers, it will work in partnership with other civil society groups, local government units and agencies in order to transform the technology unto actual concrete benefits for the communities.

The project intends to mitigate the emission of greenhouse gases of the concerned five villages through the establishment of renewable enrgy projects and rehabilitation of denuded areas in the respective villages. Specifically, it intends to prevent further emission of GHGs by as much as 50% through the adoption of the RE technologies.

It will be measured through:
1. Baseline survey of the volume of fuel used of every stove, engine and oven in the village.
2. Translating the emission to the corresponding amount of GHG emitted.
3. Efficiency of each of the technologies in the reduction of GHG emitted.
4. Number of users and amount of fossil and wood fuels saved due to the shift of the households and community projects to the RE technologies.
5. Translating the data in terms of kilograms of GHG gases prevented from emission during the entire project life.
6. Number of plants planted through the project.
7. Determining the amount of carbon dioxide contained by the plants.

Loading map...

Project Snapshot

Grantee:

Pook Mirasol Center for Appropriate Technology

Country:

Philippines

Area Of Work:

Climate Change Mitigation

Operational Phase:

Phase 2

Grant Amount:

US$ 38,783.00

Co-Financing Cash:

US$ 26,027.80

Co-Financing in-Kind:

Project Number:

PHI/68/03 GEF-RNE

Start Date:

2/2004

End Date:

1/2006

Status:

Satisfactorily Completed

Project Characteristics and Results

Emphasis on Sustainable Livelihoods

Aside from solving environmental problems, the technologies will also resolve economic problems in the form of lower cost of fuel for cooking, increased value of agricultural products, reduced cost of electricity, additional employment opprtunities and higher diversity and quantity of available planting materials.

Significant Participation of Indigenous Peoples

At the end of two years, the project hopes to revive and document the knowledge of indigenous people of the concerned communities in the identification, collection and propagation of the endemic species in order to increase the biodiversity of the concerned ecosystems. The project will also work to enable one pilot village exhibit its reconnection with these endemic plants to become their food supply as well as building and utility materials through permaculture concepts, principles, and methods in harmony with their culture and traditions.

Notable Community Participation

Local partnership will be the motive force in creating this kindof initiative. It will be a joint effort of POMCAT, people's organization, the local village council, the assisting NGOs in the area as well as government agencies and schools.

Inovative Financial Mechanisms

Other NGOs are now adopting the technologies developed by POMCAT on their own projects. They even invited the office as trainors for their projects on sustainable agriculture and renewable energy. Right now, POMCAT is the only NGO with capability and direct intervention on renewable energy projects based from its experience on developing appropriate technologies.

Gender Focus

Target beneficiaries are organized members of the people's organiztaion consist of poor farmers, fisherfolks, women, youth, children and indigenous peoples.

Capacity - Building Component

The capacity building activities facilitated the transfer of knowledge in increasing the level of awareness of project beneficiaries. The level of awareness was translated concretely into replication/adoption of technologies by families as well as the community. The capability building training and education always use the demonstration techniques to really show to the participants how the technology works. It is only then that they start to appreciate and adopt the technology on their own. While the capacity building or capability building activities were confined only in the five target villages, its effects radiated in the municipal level. POMCAT and the POs are influencing the local policies through membership in the local development councils. POMCAT knowledge on climate change has been instrumental also in drafting of the environmental code of the province. POMCAT has been chosen to become a member of the team to formulate environmental policies for the province. Some of the capacity-building activities undertaken: 1. Consultation and planning workshops 2. Capability Building program 3. Experiments and Fabrication of Prototypes 4. Establishment of Community projects and Counterpart community projects 5. Establishment of Plant Nurseries 6. Skills training on Operations, Maintenance and Production 7. Advocacy Activities

Promoting Public Awareness of Global Environment

The outcomes of the projects would contribute to the global effort of preventing climate change. With the level of carbon rising uncontrollably for the past years with the highest in 2005, micro scale projects such as the project of POMCAT when replicated in a larger scale as well as in other parts of the globe would definitely create an impact to the reduction of greenhouse gasses in the atmosphere. In addition, the project increases the people?s levels of awareness on climate change especially those recipients of the projects. In this light, people start to value the old practices which are more sustainable than the modern technological practices. Though the project is micro-scale compared to other environmental projects, it would contribute to the global effort in the mitigation of greenhouse gas emission especially methane and carbon dioxide which was earlier predicted to increase as stated in the book of Al Gore?s Inconvenient Truth. The amount of carbon and methane sequestered by the project could multiply in the future when more and more people are adopting the appropriate technology introduced by POMCAT. To illustrate the point, a rice hull-fed stove which consumes 10 kgs of rice hull a day could prevent the loss of an estimated 4 kgs of carbon to the atmosphere. A built in carbonizer could sequestered about 50 percent of the total carbon emission than letting it burn without the device. In addition, the stove was design specifically for rice hull which is abundant in the rice eating countries like the Philippines. This reduces the pressure to the already depleted forest resources of the country. Economically, the project also reduces household expenditures for fuel by almost 100 percent since rice hull is available for free in any rice mill facilities throughout the country. The project will have a strong base of village technicians that are deeply rooted in their own communities. Their wealth of experience will be an effective tool in motivating other people to act in similar manner. The capabilities of the trained village technicians will be enhanced further to become teachers and advocates of renewable energy and economic prosperity. Furthermore, the lessons learned will be shared with the largest audience througb seminars, science fairs, awards and citation, publications and website through a careful process oriented scientific documentation.

Project Results

Target outputs:
One Biogas system
One metal workshop
One Lorena Stove with carbonizer
One Lorena Pottery Kiln with Carbonizer
One Lorena Fruit ehydrator with Carbonizer and one set of Pedal Powered flour mill
One Lorena Bread Oven with Carbonizer
Six Solar Box Ovens and eleven more during the training on fabrication
One prototype of Typhoon Resistant wind Turbine
One prototype of Magnetic Engine
One prototype of Impulse Motor
One prototype for solar dish cooker
One pilot permaculture home and garden for the participating indigenous people
Five Plant Nurseries of Indigenous Plant species
One Provincial Renewable Energy Exposition
A team Skilled Local Inventors and technicians consisting of at least fifteen members.

Impact on the Environment:
1. Reduce greenhouse gas emissions
2. Cleaner air and rainwater
3. Increase in biodiversity and green spaces.

Impact on the People:
1. Increase in employment
2. Increase savings
3. Increase in food and income by enabling families process agricultural products and thus attain higher market value.
4. Increase in manpower pool of talents and skills of local inventors and designers.

Replication of Project Activities:
The projects like the biogas system, rice hull-fed stoves and ovens are being replicated in other parts of the province. In Brgy Gumaus, 8 biogas systems will be installed to supply the fuel needs of the village people. A bakery operated by People Organization (PO) in Brgy Tawig in Paracale converted their propane powered oven into rice hull-fed oven. These were made possible with the support of International Labor Organization (ILO) who provides funding on projects to combat child labor. One of the strategies identified was to provide alternative livelihood for child labor families through renewable energy technologies. One of the POs also engaged in mass producing rice hull-fed stoves as their livelihood.

Planning to Scale-up from Non-GEF Funds:
With POMCAT partnership in various parts of the country and even in the international NGO community, new projects are being developed to be launched in the province to become a model to be replicated in other areas. In Belgium, a machine to be powered by coconut oil is being developed in Nijlen Antwerp to be brought in the Philippines for testing. Githo School has been a partner of POMCAT for the past years in funding the Permaculture Project in the Philippines.

+ View more

Back to search results

Countries

Regions

Project Snapshot

Partnership

SGP Country office contact

Address