PROJECT DESIGN DOCUMENT FORM (CDM-SSC-PDD) - Version 03 CDM – Executive Board CLEAN DEVELOPMENT MECHANISM PROJECT DESIGN DOCUMENT FORM (CDM-SSC-PDD) Version 03 - in effect as of: 22 December 2006 CONTENTS A. General description of the small scale project activity B. Application of a baseline and monitoring methodology C. Duration of the project activity / crediting period D. Environmental impacts E. Stakeholders’ comments Annexes Annex 1: Contact information on participants in the proposed small scale project activity Annex 2: Information regarding public funding Annex 3: Baseline information Annex 4: Monitoring Information Annex 5: References 1 PROJECT DESIGN DOCUMENT FORM (CDM-SSC-PDD) - Version 03 CDM – Executive Board Revision history of this document Version Date Description and reason of revision Number 01 21 January Initial adoption 2003 02 8 July 2005 The Board agreed to revise the CDM SSC PDD to reflect guidance and clarifications provided by the Board since version 01 of this document. As a consequence, the guidelines for completing CDM SSC PDD have been revised accordingly to version 2. The latest version can be found at <http://cdm.unfccc.int/Reference/Documents>. 03 22 December The Board agreed to revise the CDM project design 2006 document for small-scale activities (CDM-SSC-PDD), taking into account CDM-PDD and CDM-NM. 2 PROJECT DESIGN DOCUMENT FORM (CDM-SSC-PDD) - Version 03 CDM – Executive Board SECTION A. General description of small-scale project activity A.1 Title of the small-scale project activity: Title: Maluti Air Quality Project - South Version: Issue 5 Completion date: 9 November 2011 A.2. Description of the small-scale project activity: Purpose of the project activity. The purpose of the project is to reduce ambient air pollution and GHG emissions by introducing an alternative ignition technique, that is more efficient than the conventional bottom-up ignition technique, to households who use coal for domestic cooking, water- and space heating and ironing. The reduction of greenhouse gas emissions caused by the proposed project activity Domestic coal use is a major source of air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions in South Africa (Friedl et al., 2008, 24ff, 39ff and 54ff). Main coal consumption areas include the Mpumalanga Highveld, the north-eastern Free State and southeast Gauteng. Other smaller coal use clusters also exist. The The Maluti Airquality Project - South is located in the soutern part of the Maluti a Phofung municipality of the Free State province of South Africa. It contains the main places Matsieng, Thaba Tshweu,Witsieshoek, Thibela, Phomolong and Thaba Bosiu as well as Phuthaditjhaba, Tlholong, Kestell, Tshiame, Harrismith, 42nd Hill, Intabazwe and the Golden Gate Highlands National Park. The project activity is the introduction of an alternative ignition technique for domestic coal fires that causes households to switch from a less efficient ignition technique with significant greenhouse gas emissions to a technique that results in considerably less emissions. This introduction is done by demonstrating the technique to members of coal using households through well-orchestrated demonstrations in streets, houses and public places. The effect of the project activity is that coal users start to use an alternative top-down ignition technique that leads to more efficient use of coal through more complete combustion, and to a thus reduction in coal consumption and GHG emissions. It also leads to a drastic reduction in indoor and ambient air pollution, better visibility and reduced health risk. There are no negative secondary effects. The following photos show the difference in smoke emissions caused by the conventional ignition method compared with smoke emissions caused by the alternative ignition method. 3 PROJECT DESIGN DOCUMENT FORM (CDM-SSC-PDD) - Version 03 CDM – Executive Board Figure 1: Smoke from two braziers ignited at the same time, conventional ignition technique on the left and alternative technique right Figure 2: Conventional ignition technique smoking at right while alternative technique produces almost no smoke (left) 4 PROJECT DESIGN DOCUMENT FORM (CDM-SSC-PDD) - Version 03 CDM – Executive Board The alternative ignition technique introduced by the project is colloquially known by a variety of names, depending on where and by who the method is demonstrated, it might be named 'Basa Magogo' (Zulu for 'Light it up, Grandmother!'), 'Basa Mama' (Sesotho) This variety is due to language variations in different locations. The Department of Minerals owns the trademark “Basa njengo Magogo” (Make fire like grandmother). This top-down ignition technique was developed in a participatory action research project conducted by the Nova Institute in the community of eMbalenhle. Top-down or alternative ignition produces more useful heat from the same mass of coal and thus consumes up to 50% less coal. The method works in stoves and braziers and reduces the particles emitted from the source by an average of 87% compared to the conventional method (Le Roux et al., 2005:20). The conventional ignition technique that is generally used in South Africa is to place start the fire with ignition material at the bottom and then add coal on top. The fire then smoulders (sometimes for more than an hour) before the coal is burned through and heat is available at the top. The baseline situation is that coal using households would continue to use the less efficient conventional ignition technique with resultant high costs, pollution and greenhouse gas emissions. In the project scenario coal using households use the more efficient alternative ignition technique after having been exposed to the project activity. The alternative top-down ignition technique begins by placing the coal at the bottom of the stove or brazier. This is followed by paper and wood. The paper is ignited and the wood starts burning after a few minutes. A handful of coal is then placed on top of the burning wood. When these pieces of coal start burning, the fire burns from the top down. With the heat on top, particles and volatiles pass through the fire and are burned off. This gives a cleaner and more efficient fire. The added advantage is that heat is available sooner at the top for cooking and heating. Laboratory tests by the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research in South Africa done in a brazier determined that the time to cooking temperature for the alternative technique is 10 minutes and for bottom-up ignition 60 minutes (Le Roux et al., 2005, 16). Contribution of the project activity to Sustainable Development Apart from reduction of greenhouse gas emissions the project has other direct environmental, social and economic benefits. The environmental benefits include a drastic reduction in indoor and ambient air pollution since the start of the project. Laboratory studies have shown that the improved top-down ignition method leads to a reduction in total suspended particles by an average of 87% when compared to bottom-up ignition (Le Roux et al., 2005:20). Coal burning emits gaseous and particulate pollutants that include sulphur dioxide, heavy metals, respirable particles, carbon monoxide and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. The latter are recognised as carcinogens (Airshed Planning Professionals et al 2004, 28). Reduction in particle emissions caused by the project leads to major health benefits for users as well as for the general population in the area. The type of coal commonly used for domestic energy in South Africa is commonly referred to as D-grade coal. D-grade residential coal is described by Engelbrecht et al (2002:160) as "... a low-cost bituminous coal generally with a high ash, sulfur and volatiles contents.". Since D-grade coal contains about 17% ash (Le Roux et al., 2005:29), the avoidance of solid waste in the form of ash is also an important advantage to users as well as to local authorities. In many cases not all ash is removed by municipal waste removal services and is dumped locally on residential stands or in informal ash-dumps. This form of dumping poses risk of water pollution (through run-off) and soil pollution. 5 PROJECT DESIGN DOCUMENT FORM (CDM-SSC-PDD) - Version 03 CDM – Executive Board The social benefit to communities is primarily gained from the improved health of the community members. A recent study (Airshed Planning Professionals et al 2004:64) found that air pollution in the metropolitan areas of South Africa caused 67.2 restricted activity days per potentially economically active person. The major cause of this health impact is domestic solid fuel use. As the alternative ignition technique reduces particulate pollution from a single fire by an average of 87% (Le Roux et al 2005:20) , the effect on levels of indoor pollution and ambient air pollution is dramatic. Smoke from coal fires that are ignited using the bottom-up ignition technique also has a marked effect on visibility, especially in the late afternoon and early morning when many people make fire at the same time. Because more people use coal in winter, this is worse in winter. This leads to increased risk of road accidents and crime during these times. The economic benefit to the end-users takes the form of savings on health care and coal consumption. The monitoring report attached as Annex 4 shows that a household which converts to the alternative technique saves on average 349.97kg of coal per year. The coal merchant survey conducted by the Nova Institute in 2010 found that the average price of coal in the Target Area was no less than R1.50/kg (data available on request). This means that the average savings by a household using the alternative ignition technique is R 524.96 per year (see B.6.3 Ex-ante calculation of emission reductions for details). The project provides employment to area leaders, team leaders, demonstrators and survey field workers in every location where the project activity takes place.