Rwanda: Rural Electrification and Clean and Improved Cooking

The Government of Rwanda is working to achieve universal access to electricity by 2024. In order to reach the millions of people who reside in remote rural areas, far from the national electrification grid, the government has helped to make off-grid solutions available. Such off-grid solutions, like solar home systems, not only provide electrification but also decrease reliance on more polluting fossil fuels, like kerosene, ultimately reducing greenhouse gas emissions. 

As part of its recently introduced biomass energy, Rwanda intends to reduce the percentage of households that use firewood for cooking. Distribution of efficient and clean cook stoves not only reduces the consumption of firewood, but also helps to cut the harmful emissions produced from burning biomass fuel, lessens the harmful health impacts from exposure to wood fuel smoke, and reduces the demand for firewood which helps to conserve valued forests.

Ci-Dev is purchasing the greenhouse gas emissions reductions (ERs) generated as a result of the distribution of solar home systems and clean and efficient cook stoves. This funding will be used to subsidize the sale of an additional 10,000 off-grid connections and an additional 300,000 efficient and clean cook stoves. This is expected to benefit 310,000 low-income households in Rwanda.