One of the startling facts I refer to when discussing the dire biomass situation facing a number of Sub-Saharan countries is Uganda’s announcement last year that the country is set to run out of woodfuel by the end of the decade.
The report from Uganda’s Ministry of Water and the Environment said: “At the present rate of deforestation, it is predicted that Uganda is likely to be importing fuel wood by 2020.”
The report also notes that Uganda’s woodland cover declined from 16.5 per cent to 11.5 per cent of the total land area between 1990 and 2005. [Water and Environment Sector Performance
Report 2009, report released: October 2009]
The country derives 93% of its energy needs from biomass.
In a bold move, Uganda three years ago adopted a policy on renewable energy aimed at increasing the population’s access to power from 4% to 61% by 2017.
Well, it looks like someone in the German government thinks this is a goal worth supporting.
Today’s edition of Uganda’s New Vision Online reports that the German government is investing “10m euros to promote renewable energy in order to alleviate poverty.”
However, the news item makes several points that are worthy of further scrutiny.
1. “There is compelling need of going for biomass technology to produce combustible gas.” I wonder what this means. Will Uganda convert biomass to combustible gas in some type of largescale operation? Or are they talking about small gasifiers? What’s the plan here? Anyone know?
2. “Biogas technologies can also offer an opportunity to tackle the waste management problem in the country and wood fuel conversion technologies such as wood stoves and brick kilns.” I think the reference to waste management must be about discarded agricultural matter. The rest of the statement is nebulous.
Interesting factoid: “In addition, biomass fuel trade employs close to 200,000 people and saves the country foreign exchange equivalent to $160m per annum in terms of oil products which would otherwise be imported.”
Is there anyone in Uganda who can comment on this story? Thanks!
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Nice to hear this from along waited donor country like Germany thank you.
I have for the last fiftine years been promoting renewables in alot of hardships, now communities have had the imporatancey of planting trees, saving wood lots and cook stoves which saves fuel along with Biogas.
For that matter, the promotion of biomass technology is here to mainly assist human kind, so lets work together hand in hand to curb the climetic change.
Ipromote renewable energies among them; solar pv, Biogas, Biomass stoves, Briquettes and Biodisel.
Feel free to contact me on my mail address.