SNV is dedicated to a society where all people enjoy the freedom to pursue their own sustainable development. SNV contributes to this by strengthening the capacity of local organisations. In over thirty countries worldwide, SNV advisers are on the ground to listen, connect, advise, facilitate and exchange expertise. SNV's support is aimed at promoting sustainable development by means of: - generating production, income and employment opportunities, and - improving access to basic services especailly renewable energy technologies and water & sanitation. In the enegy sector, SNV's focus is on domestic biogas, a practice in which the organisation has proven expertise since its earliest operations in Nepal in the 1990s. SNV supports the formulation and implementation of national programmes on domestic biogas. For the user, biogas provides clean cooking energy, contributes to health improvement and reduces the time needed for biomass collection, especially for women. SNV also has experience with improved watermills and local use of bio-fuels. With the biogas programme more than 220,000 households (1.35 million people) in five Asian countries have been reached. (more on the special websites on biogas in Nepal, Vietnam, Bangladesh (projects), and Cambodia). Presently the biogas programme is expanded to Africa. Ultimately this African programme aims to provide 20 million households with renewable energy. (Follow the developments on www.biogasafrica.org). In these programmes, clients cooperate in the form of institutional arrangements that provide access to sustainable energy and organic fertiliser for households raising livestock. SNV assists clients in developing a commercially viable, market-oriented biogas sector and in maximising the multiple benefits of domestic biogas at household, local, national and global levels.
Contact Information
SNV is active in the field of domestic biogas in a number of countries within Asia and Africa: Nepal, Bangladesh, Vietnam, Cambodia, Lao PDR, Ethiopia and Rwanda. All these countries qualify for the setting-up of national biogas programmes as climatic conditions are favourable, livestock is kept at farms in an integrated manner, biomass fuels for cooking are becoming scarce and (potential) stakeholders show a clear will and interest for participation. As per the end of 2007, more than 220,000 quality biogas plants have been installed and about 1.35 million people do benefit. In other countries like Senegal and Tanzania, national programmes are under preparation. With this intervention SNV has targeted 2.2 million people in Asia over the period 2005 to 2012 and contributes to human development, especially income generation, environmental protection, health improvement and gender equality. Since 2003, over 2,400 water mills benefiting around 96,000 families have been successfully upgraded. Most of the upgrades, which involve replacing wooden parts with metal ones, simply increase grinding efficiency. Others, however, have been upgraded to do more such as generate electricity or use other mechanical equipment for rice hulling and oil expelling. Mill improvements have increased grinding capacity by more than 100%. Because the grain is ground more quickly and more can be supplied, water-millers have found that their income has increased by at least 25%. SNV supported energy programmes in Nepal (biogas and improved water mills) and Vietnam (biogas) have won prestigious Ashden Awards and Energy Globe Award.
Our Experience And Interest In The Four PCIA Central Focus Areas
SNV aims to involve a maximum of organisational and institutional capacities already available in the country and to strengthen these capacities through local capacity building organisations rather than implement activities by ourselves. As a result, SNV hopes to see in the end a fully developed, sustainable sector in which farmers with livestock purchase and install biogas plants on a commercial basis. A similar approach is being applied for the dissemination of improved watermills in Nepal. Using hydro-power to grind grain makes sense in a region where there are plenty of streams and access to basic energy supplies is limited. The traditional water mills are, however, extremely inefficient, producing just enough energy (less than 0.5kW) for the simple task of grinding the grain. As a result the mills are unable to satisfy local demand resulting in a rise in the number of diesel powered mills.
SNV begins its programme development services by first carrying out participatory assessments of the potential demand for biogas plants and the possible constraints faced by service suppliers. SNV then helps outline a national programme on domestic biogas. Based on a positive decision for intervention, a detailed proposal for a national programme including output targets, costs and financing is formulated in cooperation with the potential clients and partners. National and local governments as well as donors are then invited to co-finance the programme and SNV maintains close contacts with them. During the implementation of a national programme, SNV follows an integrated approach in strengthening the capacities of all required clients in the sector and in optimising institutional arrangements. Strengthening and capacity building of the private sector is one of the main focus of SNV supported biogas programmes. The private sector is considered as the main vehicle to take the program to the needy communities.
SNV supports the partners in the biogas progrmmes to select best design of biogas plants and optimisation of the design to suit the local context. A strict quality control mechanism consisting of clearly defined quality standrads are formulated which the programme should adhered to. Special efforts are provided to increase the efficiencies of biogas appliances, especially biogas stoves for cooking and biogas lamps for lighting, and make them user as well as environment frieldly. SNV supports various research and development activites aiming at standarisation of cooking and lighting appliances.
SNV has set a mandatory provision of monitoring of the effects/impacts of biogas and bioslurry on the users annually. Each biogas programme conducts a biogas users' survey each year on a randomly sampled households to monitor the impacts of biogas plants on health and other aspects of the users.
Relevant Publications or Studies
SNV has published numerous reports, articles, information leaflets and other information related to biogas technology. Please refer to the following websites for further details: www.snvworld.org www.bspnepal.org.np www.biogas.org.vn www.nbp.org.kh www.idcol.org
Our Contribution to the Partnership
SNV would like to share highlights of its activities and achievements with others in the Partnership and beyond. SNV considers brokerage of knowledge as one of its core activities, contributing to the further development of capacities of its clients in the countries concerned. SNV wants to intensify the brokerage of applicable knowledge on the dissemination of domestic biogas between relevant organisations and individuals. Specific knowledge to be brokered will be based on the needs felt by the national programmes, and may include cost reduction of biogas plants, improved use of bio-slurry, improved biogas appliances like stove and lamp, and trading of Certified or Verified Emission Reductions.
