In order to attain sustainable development, there is need for clean and reliable energy. Woodfuel (charcoal and firewood) make up over 70 percent of the national energy consumption in Zambia as only about 25 percent of the population has access to electricity. It is among the most important domestic fuels for low income households in Zambia. The country’s low income are continuously affected by the low availability of sustainable, clean and reliable energy. Cooking with solid fuels and inefficient cook stoves has adverse effects for human wellbeing, health and the environment. One initiative for sustainable energy provision in urban Zambia has been the introduction of improved cook stoves (ICS) based on sawdust pellets to replace traditional cooking on charcoal braziers that have dominated usage in homes since the 1930s. One of the main motivations for improved cook stove interventions has been to reduce household demand for woodfuel thus to reduce pressures on deforestation. However, adoption of improved cook stoves designed to reduce these impacts remain relatively low while the demand for woodfuel remains predominantly high. Using a user centred approach, the study investigated the awareness, adoptability and sustainability of improved pellet cook stoves in view of government policies of Matero- George compound, Lusaka low income households. It sought the factors influencing households’ preference of traditional or modern cook stoves, the knowledge of available energy options, the challenges households had relating to their current cooking solutions and the options available to them and the appropriateness and effectiveness of government policies promoting the use of improved cooking technologies. The study employed a qualitative approach using semi structured interview questionnaires. The study involved thirty (30) respondents comprising ten (10) key informants from Departments of Energy (3) and Forestry (2) and the Lusaka City Council (5), and 20 households from Matero-George Compound. The study revealed three main types of energy used by different households,’ woodfuel, electricity and the pellet cook stoves and four major determinants of energy choice; in/convenience, economic, health, and risks factors. It also revealed that the expense of the pellet cook stove could be the reason for its slow adoption. Further, the study revealed that the awareness levels of the pellet cook stoves and new technologies was low except for the people involved in the projects. It was clearly pointed out that the government had no policy instruments with regard to dissemination, sensitization and communication strategies on the new cook stoves although they were in the process of developing energy efficient strategies on new cook stoves.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:UPSALLA1/oai:DiVA.org:uu-388338 |
| Date | January 2019 |
| Creators | Mulenga, Mukuka Mpundu |
| Publisher | Uppsala universitet, Institutionen för geovetenskaper |
| Source Sets | DiVA Archive at Upsalla University |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Student thesis, info:eu-repo/semantics/bachelorThesis, text |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Rights | info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess |
| Relation | Examensarbete vid Institutionen för geovetenskaper, 1650-6553 ; 2019/19 |
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