By Patrick Ofoe Nudzi/Stanley Senya
Accra, 13 May, GNA – The Energy Commission (EC) has urged manufacturers and importers of improved cookstoves to take advantage of the new standard and labelling scheme to increase their market share and value.
The Commission said the new scheme gave a competitive advantage and distinguished improved biomass cookstoves from the traditional ones like the coal pots, three-stone-fire and tyre rim firewood cookstoves.
This was said during a Regional Awareness Creation event organized by the Commission on new standards and labelling schemes for improved biomass cook stoves, LI 2454.
Improved biomass cook stoves are ones that meet the minimum performance requirements for thermal efficiency, safety and emissions as stipulated in the LI 2454 Renewable Energy (Standards and Labelling) (Improved Biomass Cookstoves) Regulations, 2022.
Specifically, it has a safety core of 85, a thermal efficiency of more than 35 per cent for cook stoves that use carbonised fuel like charcoal and 25 per cent for the ones that use uncarbonated fuels like wood and pallets.
All improved cook stoves are to be tested in accordance with the national standard (GS ISO 19867-1 laboratory test protocols.
An improved cook stove has two types of performance labels which are the standard label; one that meets the basic minimum performance requirements for thermal efficiency and safety and the low emissions performance level that has a five-star rating for emissions (PM2.5).
Speaking in an interview with the Ghana News Agency, Mr Frederick Ken. Appiah, Deputy Director, Renewable Energy, Energy Commission, said cook stoves that met the standard and labelling scheme increased consumer confidence and market performance.
He said the regulations cover a spectrum of actors, with a focus on local manufacturers, retailers, and importers and so if the products did not meet the minimum thermal efficiency then they could not be imported into the country.
“One of our mandates is to ensure the efficient utilisation of renewable energy resources and biomass is very key to renewable energy utilisation,” Mr Appiah said.
He said the focus was on carbonization technology in producing biomass or charcoal and household consumption in the value chain, adding that it was important to ensure that the emission levels coming out of this carbonization technology were not harmful.
Madam Paula Edze, Manager of Renewable Energy Regulations, Energy Commission, said the cookstoves sector is informal with baseline products like coal pots that had been in the system for years.
“It bothers on the livelihoods of people and we do not want to disadvantage them by banning these products, however, to prohibit the influx of such products in the market we don’t allow importation of cookstoves that are not improved,” she said.
GNA