Bioenergy-Cameroon, a
non-governmental organisation run by young people, installs
equipment that converts waste from septic tanks and pit latrines
into biogas, which can be used for cooking or heating and can power
small generators to run household electrical
appliances.
The organisation says its
efforts are spurring the use of clean energy in homes and secondary
schools where grid electrical power is non-existent or unreliable
and alternative sources of energy such as gas cylinders are
expensive.
"Many have come to discover the
cheap energy in their backyard and are not only embracing the
technology but are also learning the transformation process," said
Cedrick Kemajou, Bioenergy's coordinator.
As it expands, the project is
bringing local councils and other youth groups on
board.
"With exponential growth of the
university town of Buea, we had problems handling human waste. That
is why we are glad that this waste can be used to produce energy
that will help the residents not only fill the energy gap but also
tackle human waste and sewage (management) problems," said Patrick
Ekema, mayor of Buea.
Ekema said that with easier
access to energy, the council can better tackle other development
problems such as providing clean water.
GIRLS GO GREEN
Biogas is produced by connecting
a septic tank to a bio-digester which breaks down the organic
matter, producing a natural gas known as bio-methane.
Students in schools where the
infrastructure is installed are trained in the biogas
transformation process and are shown how to build, install and
maintain the biodigester and generators at the school.
"We give practical training to
girls in colleges on how energy is generated from the sun, water
and human waste," said Monique Ntumngia, coordinator of Green
Girls, a Cameroonian NGO that trains young women in
technology.
"We target female students
especially, to break barriers and get them into innovative
technology," Ntumngia explained. Green Girls has trained 600 girls
in schools in towns such as Bafut, Nkwen and Mankon, she
said.
An additional 3,000 households
in Buea and Bamenda have received domestic biodigesters through the
project, and demand is growing fast, project organisers
say.
Many students in Buea and
Bamenda say they have long suffered from persistent blackouts on
the traditional grid power, where energy largely comes from
hydropower.
"We could not study well during
such blackouts that sometimes last for over a week. We have been
suffering even though we are blessed with a clean energy source in
our backyard," said Magdalene Lum, a student at the University of
Buea.
"The new energy from our human
waste will supply us electricity constantly and cheaper," Lum
said.
Families benefiting from the
cheap biogas say they are using the money they save for other
essential items such as schooling and medical care.
"Biogas has spared me the
trouble of paying monthly electricity bills and buying bottled gas
that is regularly out of stock. This has saved me some money to
support my children's education," said Mercy Kum, a trader in
Buea.
College officials are pleased
that biogas insulates their budgets from what can be volatile
electricity prices. Rates fluctuate according to the availability
of hydropower, which is increasingly vulnerable as climate change
brings more droughts and floods.
"The biogas we generate provides
a constant supply of the energy the school needs, unlike the
hydroelectricity that regularly goes on and off," said Peter Nke,
principal of Baptist High School Buea.
Having a biodigester installed
and receiving training to use and maintain it costs 500,000-700,000
FCFA ($800-$1,100), a sum paid by the institution or households
that request the service. A group of homes can use a common
biodigester to share the expense.
REDUCING
DEFORESTATION
Turning waste into biogas may
not be new in Cameroon, but the youth organisations say producing
it from human waste in multiple households and institutions, and
training students - especially girls - on the technology is an
innovation.
"Most boarding schools in the
Northwest and Southwest regions now use biogas for cooking and
lighting produced from human waste, with trained students to manage
the process," said Ntumngia.
Samuel Nguiffo, executive
secretary of the Center for Environment and Development (CED), an
NGO in Cameroon, explained that most communities in urban areas
traditionally use charcoal or kerosene stoves for
cooking.
Charcoal production creates a
huge demand for wood, which has frequently led the government to
impose bans on charcoal burning and forest destruction.
The use of biogas energy should
help preserve the country's forests, Nguiffo said.
CED estimates that the biogas
project may be reducing greenhouse gases by as much as 60 percent
in the vicinity of the projects, as well as curbing pollution from
open air defecation and pit latrines.
"Cameroon will derive enormous
economic, health and especially environmental benefits if renewable
energy efforts are spread throughout the country," he
said.
Thomson Reuters
Foundation
