Enabling Access to Sustainable Energy

Project details

020 Transfer of Vacvina biogas technology from Vietnam to Tanzania

Project partner

TaTEDO Tanzania
CCRD Vietnam

Project status

Completed 2008

Project description

In Tanzania biogas systems are used on a small scale: over a period of 10 years around 6000 biogas plants have been built. However, the kind of biogas models in place are quite expensive (around US$1400), which has been a limiting factor for commercial up-scaling of the technology. The idea with this project is to try in Tanzania a low-cost, low-maintenance model (USD 500) that has been successfully used in Vietnam and Colombia, where the construction of such model is already a business for local masons and can survive without subsidies.

CCRD has an impressive track record in the construction of VACVINA biogas plants in Vietnam. TaTEDO is interested to learn about this technology and investigate the possibilities for upscaling the use of this technology in Tanzania. As a first step two CCRD experts will come to Tanzania to give training to TaTEDO on the construction of the VACVINA biogas plant.

The objective of this project is to build technological capacity within TaTEDO on construction of low cost biogas models from Vietnam. CCRD will provide training and instructions to build the two biodigestors. The gained knowledge will be disseminated to entrepreneurs in rural areas of Tanzania so as to improve cooking and lighting situation of households. To ensure their involvement from an early stage, a number of technicians/entrepreneurs taken who are currently active, or have the potential and motivation, the biogas sector will participate in the biogas exchange.

Learning questions

The principle questions to be answered by the project are:

How to develop a quality low-cost package of biodigestors which will be competitive in Tanzanian household markets (value chain)?

The subquestions are:

What are the actual costs of constructing VACVINA biogas plants and how does it compare with presently available models.
How to integrate human wastes from latrines in the biodigestor system? What are the differences from using animal waste only?
How and where to source equipment for the low cost biodigestors?
What are the contents and methodologies for training on low cost biodigestors?
What are the success factors for massive adoption of VACVINA biodigestors in Vietnam?
Which commercial structures currently exist in Tanzania that could be used for the introduction of the VACVINA low cost biogas system (existing distribution chains, distribution points, markets etc.)?
Who are the actors that are capable and interested to take up a role in the distribution and what would be their role? Distinguish between salesmen, technicians/masons who can make the systems themselves.
Which market segments can be identified for the VACVINA low cost biogas system and what are their characteristics (including size and feasibility)?
Which steps are needed to promote the commercial introduction of the VACVINA low cost biogas system?
What are the recommendations for TaTEDO to promote the introduction of the technology in the market?