Ethiopia: Biogas

Indoor air pollution, responsible for almost 4 million premature deaths annually, is created when solid wood fuels are burned for cooking and heating. Biogas digesters, which convert manure and organic household waste into a clean fuel that can be used for cooking, offer a potential solution. 

Carbon revenues from Ci-Dev are helping the National Biogas Program of Ethiopia to promote the use of biogas digesters, make them more affordable, and improve consumer confidence. Ci-Dev will purchase carbon credits generated by the nearly 42,000 biogas digesters installed through multiple phases of the program from 2009 to 2022. The funds will allow for a subsidy, reducing the sale price for consumers, and support a performance-based maintenance incentive. 

In addition, through the credit line under the Development Bank of Ethiopia, micro-finance institutions will have additional resources to assist households in purchasing biogas digesters. The Ethiopia Clean Cooking Program of Activities demonstrates how carbon revenue can be used to increase household affordability and build capacity within the private sector to improve consumer confidence.