Environmentally friendly cooking with biogas

Many households in India use simple wood stoves for cooking and heating. As a result, the population has a high demand for firewood and suffers from toxic smoke.

As part of this climate project in the state of Punjab, approximately 7,200 biogas plants will be installed to supply connected households with energy for cooking and heating. To produce biogas, the households use manure from their own cows. The project's biogas plants save about 36,730 tonnes of CO2 annually that would otherwise be released through the use of firewood.

Biogas plants prevent deforestation of local forests and improve indoor air quality. This benefits women and children in particular, who spend a lot of time at home – spaces that were previously polluted with harmful smoke. Furthermore, the project enhances hygiene conditions through the appropriate disposal of cow dung. Residues from the biogas plants serve as organic fertilizers and help improve the soil conditions in rural areas.

How do biogas projects help fight global warming?In biogas facilities, biomass is fermented into biogas in sealed digesters. Biomass may consist of organic waste or dung from cows or other animals. In countries like India or Vietnam, families use the gas from small biogas plants for cooking. This reduces CO2 emissions that would be produced by cooking with wood or charcoal. Biogas plants also prevent methane from escaping into the atmosphere, as is the case when organic waste is stored in an open pit. Instead, the gas is fed from the closed digesters to specific cookers and thus provides an independent and renewable source of energy.
Contribution to the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
Good Health and Well-BeingSince the project replaces the polluting traditional cook stoves with a modern biogas system, people will no longer suffer from toxic kitchen smoke and associated health consequences.
Affordable and Clean EnergyThe project will provide around 7,200 households access to a more sustainable way of generating energy without the use of fossil fuels.
Decent Work and Economic GrowthThe project creates local jobs, e.g., for the maintenance of the biogas plants, and provides regular training for the employees.
Climate ActionThis project is going to save about 36,730 tonnes of CO2 per year.
Project standardGold Standard VER (GS VER)TechnologyBiogasRegionPunjab, IndiaEstimated annual emission reductions36,735 t CO2Validated byCarbon Check (India) Private Ltd.Verified byCarbon Check (India) Private Ltd.