RETAP’s total energy solution for schools:

Designed to address both the demand and supply dimensions of energy in schools, the solution package has three components:

* the stoves component – for energy demand management and conservation using improved institutional stoves designed to reduce fuel wood demand by 60-70%. Stoves installed on CREDIT and repayable by installments over 2 years. RETAP has sub-contracted a private company Rural Technology Enterprises (RTE) for the design, fabrication and installation improved stoves. RTE was selected on account of their proven track record and superior range of product portfolio in addition to reliable after-sales service.
* the woodlot component - supporting schools to plant eucalyptus trees such that in 4-5 years, schools are self-sufficient in the supply of fuel wood from their woodlots. To qualify, a school must plant a minimum of 5000 seedlings in 3 years.
* the training component - designing and delivering tailor-made and hands-on training to the schools’ management, catering staff, teachers and students on energy efficiency, tree planting and woodlot management.

Vision: RETAP’s vision is to see educational institutions that are self-sufficient in fuel wood demand and supply, that have high end-use energy efficiency, that are entry points and centres of excellence in energy and environmental conservation through out the country. Also RETAP is in the process of enhancing its loan support to SMEs in the renewable energy sector by transforming itself into a GREEN MICRO-FINANCE institution with branches spread across the country.(

Objectives: (for the next five to ten years)

(i) Designing and promoting initiatives/projects that create awareness of the need to support wide-scale and sustainable dissemination of renewable energy technologies as alternative and cost-effective sources of energy services to institutions.

(ii) Facilitate institutions to become self-sufficient in fuel wood demand and supply by use of energy-saving stoves and growing their own woodlots, hence eradicate harvesting of fuel wood from forests.

(iii) Conduct research, document and disseminate results on the wider role of renewable energy in poverty alleviation, promoting sustainable rural livelihoods, and environmental conservation in Kenya.

(iv) Contribute to the on-going global debate/studies of putting improved stoves on the international “carbon market” using the “Kyoto Mechanisms” of international emissions trading (IET), joint implementation (JI), and clean development mechanisms (CDM).

(v) Contribute towards poverty reduction through provision of soft loans to Smes in the renewable energy sector.

Implementation strategies:

(i) Revolving fund credit schemes designed to assist majority of institutions acquire the stoves on credit and re-pay the credit from direct savings from fuel wood over a maximum 2-year period. The credit scheme is need-driven and helps the institutions that would otherwise not be able to meet the high up-front costs of institutional stoves as demanded by the private manufacturers.

(ii) Capacity building in energy planning and management through intensive and regular training of end-users and institutional managers, education inspectors/officials at the Ministry of Education, etc

(iii) Conducting demand-driven research to generate relevant data/information for creating awareness, influencing policy and decision making in favour of renewable energy technologies.

1.0 History and rationale for RETAP

RETAP is a regional NGO registered in Kenya in 1995 with a broad mandate and vision of promoting R&D, commercialization, dissemination and capacity building initiatives for renewable energy technologies (RETs) within the East African Region. In early 1995, RETAP conducted an energy needs assessment study in institutions and found out that due to the prohibitive costs of electricity and cooking gas (LPG), 95% of institutions were relying on fuel wood as the main source of cooking energy. Another major barrier to using electricity and LPG is the prohibitive costs of the cooking appliances. Moreover, the high unreliability of supply of both electricity and LPG, not to mention the limited extent of the national electric grid, also necessitated alternative and/or supplementary options. Further 90% of all the institutions are using the traditional open-fires whose level of energy efficiency is about 10% and the resultant high consumption and expenditure on fuel wood accounts for approximately 25% of the total boarding budget. Using open-fires is characterized by heavy indoor air pollution, thus exposing the end-users to serious health risks. Another study estimated that a typical institution using 30 tonnes of wood per month clears about 3 hectares of forest cover which means that institutions are contributing to massive deforestation in Kenya. RETAP therefore emerged as a demand-driven and pragmatic initiative with broad objectives of promoting and creating awareness about RETs, in addition to empowering and enabling institutions achieve self-sufficiency in fuel wood supply and demand, and increasing end-use energy efficiency, thus become entry points and demonstration centers for energy and environmental conservation in Kenya.

2.0 Progress and projects implemented from 1995-2006

RETAP’s revolving fund credit scheme was set up with seed funding (US$50,000) from GEF/SGP-UNDP in 1996. From this funding, the number of beneficiaries (schools) has grown from the initial 9 to 160 and the cumulative multiplier effect is 1777.7% within 11 years of operation. This success leveraged additional funding from Canadian CIDA, US$9091 in 1996, Kenya Gatsby Charitable Trust (KGT), US$30,000* and US$33,333* in 1997 and 1999 respectively. More support came from Staples Trust (UK) (US$21,666) for project training and evaluation in 1999. The Ashden Trust (UK) has also provided US$6410 for an indoor air pollution and climate change mitigation study for 2000/2001. The UNDP/GEF/SGP/COMPACT and ASHDEN TRUST (UK) funded an Eco-schools Project (COMPACT) that integrates energy efficiency and sustainable fuel wood production for the conservation of Mt. Kenya forest for the period 2002 to 2004 totaling US$ 85,000. Because of its success, the COMPACT project has been successfully scaled-up to cover the entire country under a UNDP/GEF/MSP/GoK Market Transformation for Sustainable Biomass Energy Project (A four year project 2007-2010 . Therefore total external support in cash received from 1995 to 2006 = US$1,285,000. This excludes invaluable support received in kind from The Government of Kenya through the Ministry of Energy, Tree Biotechnology Trust Programme (TBTP) The University of Nairobi (UoN), Rural Technology Enterprises (RTE) Ltd. in form of transport, logistics, and other partners in form of consultancy and facilitation services.

3.0 Impact of fuel wood use by schools in Kenya

* Over 95% of all schools in Kenya rely 100% on fuel wood for cooking and water heating

* In 1989, the total fuel wood demand by all institutions/schools in Kenya was estimated at 500,000 tones (UNEP, 1989)[1]. In the last 11 years, demand has nearly quadrupled, thanks to increase in population and construction of more schools, particularly with boarding facilities.
* Besides the over 5000 public Secondary Schools in the country, there are close to 5000 private Secondary and Primary Schools (Academies) thanks to the free primary and secondary education. Also, a substantial percentage of the over 19000 public primary schools have introduced a lunch programme.
* A typical boarding school consumes approximately 200- 300 tones of fuel wood per year and at an average cost of Ksh350 (US$4) per tonne, the school would spend Ksh70, 000 to Ksh105, 000 (US$875 – US$1,312.5) per year on fuel wood. In some schools, expenditure on fuel wood accounts for 20-30% of the total school’s kitchen budget. Nationally, schools may be spending nearly Ksh35 million (US$437,500) on fuel wood, at the expense of other essential learning facilities such as books, laboratory equipment, computers, etc.
* The precise ecological damage of harvesting 1 million tonnes of wood for use as fuelwood is difficult to quantify but is comparable to degrading over 400 hectares of forest cover annually. The damage is much worse considering that the wood is harvested in bulk (i.e, logging mature trees) including the indigenous and threatened species such as camphor[2], Olea Africana[3], Ficus Thonnigi, Vitex kenienis, Moringa Oleifera not to mention the loss in other forms of biodiversity. These are hardwood species preferred for their high calorific value.
* Regrettably, over 70% of schools in Kenya are still using the traditional and highly inefficient open-fire cooking systems – thus incurring huge fuel wood costs and contributing to massive deforestation in Kenya.


* Money provided as soft loan repayable to KGT at 13% p.a.

* Money provided as soft loan repayable to KGT at 13% p.a.

[1] UNEP, 1989, Technology, markets and people: the use and misuse of fuel saving stoves, Energy Report series, Vol 18, Nrb.

[2] KWS, 1999, Aerial survey on the destruction of Mt. Kenya, Imenti & Ngare ndare Forest reserves, Nairobi

[3] ICRAF, 1992, A selection of useful trees and shrubs for Kenya, ICRAF, Nairobi