Project details
1070 · Biomass
  • Soacha, Colombia
Fossil-fuel phase-out with biomass

Soacha is a fast-growing suburb in the metropolitan area of Bogotá. Young people from rural areas try their luck there; others had to leave their villages during the civil war. Countless simple mud brick houses are being built, and brick kilns make a good living. Since coal is cheaply available in Colombia, nearly all of the region's brickyards use it to fire their kilns.

Except for the Santander brickyard, that is. Its owner, Miguel Diaz, has converted his business so that it operates modern, energy-efficient kilns – and he also runs them with up to 80 percent renewable biomass. This way, the brickyard saves around 18,470 tonnes of carbon emissions each year.

This exclusive ClimatePartner carbon offset project was the first project in Colombia to receive Gold Standard certification.

How biomass projects help contribute to climate change

Biomass refers to organic residues such as tree branches, leaves, sawdust, wood chips or coconut shells. Those are of a biogenic, non-fossil nature that can be used to generate renewable energy. One way to generate renewable energy, among others, is to fire kilns using biomass. This process prevents harmful smoke and large quantities of CO2 to be released.

As an additional greenhouse gas reduction measure, biomass climate projects mostly prevent biomass from rotting in the open air, so that no methane (CH4) is released. Biomass projects in the ClimatePartner portfolio are registered with international standards.

Contribution to the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
Affordable and Clean EnergyEfficient energy production from renewable biomass; the project is a positive example of modern biomass technology.
Decent Work and Economic GrowthLong-term jobs with good conditions, combating child labour and modern slavery.
Climate ActionThe project is estimated to save about 18,470 tonnes of carbon emissions per year.
Project standardGold Standard VER (GS VER)TechnologyBiomassRegionSoacha, ColombiaEstimated annual emission reductions18,477 t CO2Validated byTÜV Rheinland (China) Ltd.Verified byEarthood Services Private Limited