Clean Cookstoves Manufacturers have received a one-week technical training at CSIR Institute for Industrial Research under the auspices of the Ministry of Energy, Energy Commission with support from Climate and Clean Air Coalition
The training was necessitated by the need to improve clean cooking technologies in Ghana to meet the National Standards and Regulations being promulgated which will require clean cooking manufacturers to produce improved biomass cookstoves that meet at least 40% thermal efficiency in order to qualify for registration in the carbon registry
Speaking at the Opening Ceremony, the Director of CSIR IIR, Dr. Boateng welcomed the participants to the program and outlined the various programs that CSIR IIR offers including liner testing, clay testing, biomass cookstoves testing, equipment calibration through the metrology lab and other support services that they provide to clean cookstoves manufacturers.
Group Picture after Opening Ceremony featuring Dignitaries
Mrs. Doris Duodu of the Ministry of Energy on behalf of Mr. Seth Mahu the Acting Director of Renewable Energy at the Ministry who was also present, intimated the urgent need for cookstoves manufacturers to work towards producing highly efficient cookstoves, which meet the standards in Ghana to be able to effectively compete with the international market. She added that the government is working towards efforts to improve the clean cooking sector to make it robust and address the energy transition and climate change policies targets and this training is part of efforts to ensure that cookstoves which is an integral part of Ghana’s Nationally Determined Contributions to climate change is made more efficient. She said Ghana seeks to drive 3 million clean cooking solutions by 2030
Ms Bernice and Paula Edze on behalf of the Energy Commission also outlined programs put in place to help clean cooking manufacturers to develop quality cookstoves, get registered and be able to effectively participate in the carbon credit opportunities and encouraged clean cooking manufacturers to take the training seriously and work towards improving design and efficiency of biomass cookstoves in Ghana.
Various facilitators from CSIR IIR provided training in various aspects of cookstoves design and efficiency, standard and regulations of clean cooking, metrology, testing of cookstoves and liners, among others.
The training included a 3 day theoretical session with visits to the CSIR Regional Cookstoves Testing Laboratory and 3 day practical sessions on design of improved cookstoves and liners by the manufacturers.
The participants used various innovations in groups to design concepts for improved cookstoves using AUTOCAD, Paper Cards, Metal Sheets among others to design various prototypes of improved cookstoves based on the concepts learnt during the workshop
Participants were awarded certificates after completion at the closing ceremony featuring Mr. John Yeboah from the Energy Commission and the Finance Director of CSIR
The participants provided feedback that the training has been eye opening, practical and they are going back with experiences that will help improve their work. It also helped expose manufacturers to services that CSIR IIR offers and indicated the opportunity for manufacturers to test their stoves and revert to CSIR for advisory when the need arises. Mr. Lukumanu Mohammed the Chief Executive of GHACCO expressed appreciation to the Ministry of Energy, Energy Commission, CSIR IIR and the Climate and Clean Air Coalition for organizing such an important program for the manufacturers and said it will go a long way to help improve the quality of biomass cookstoves in the sector.