In Zimbabwe, access to the electrical grid is scarce and unreliable which means millions of people still depend on firewood for cooking and heating. To help Zimbabweans gain access to sustainable energy, GreenZim Ventures,a company registered in the country, constructs and installs biogas systems. By turning livestock waste and sewage into energy, the innovator offers end-users a solution for clean cooking and waste management.
In order to support Zimbabwe’s agricultural sector, GreenZim Ventures aims to work more with smallholder and commercial farmers as well as institutions to provide biogas solutions. So, because different customers have different needs, GreenZim offers a variety of appliances and equipment (e.g., biogas stoves/burners, cookers, heaters, refrigerators, power generators).
As part of GreenZim Ventures’ effort to grow their business, the innovator leveraged WE4F networks to engage other donors. Most notably, they applied for $1.5 million USD in grant funding. However, to access the potential grant, they needed to provide International Organization for Standardization (ISO) test certificates on the biogas stoves.
In their efforts to unlock the funding, GreenZim Ventures turned to the WE4F Southern and Central Africa (S/CA) Hub to assist with getting the biogas cookstoves certified. A cookstove was sent for testing at the Centre for Research in Energy and Energy Conservation (CREEC), at the University of Makerere in Uganda. As a result, their biogas stoves are the first locally manufactured stoves to receive ISO 19867-1 certification in Zimbabwe. This certification will assist the innovator in not only unlocking potential funding from MCFA, but also from other financiers who may require quality certified products for their funding.
Currently, the Standards Association of Zimbabwe is in the process of updating quality standards for biogas systems. GreenZim Ventures’ certification puts the innovator at the forefront of efforts to ensure consumer protection from counterfeit renewable energy products. Additionally, it brings more confidence to the local market and, as the innovator seeks to grow their business beyond Zimbabwe, their product’s certification may attract more customers.
The innovator shared, “We are extremely excited about the outcome of the tests as this has made it possible for our biogas burner to be acceptable not only for the [funding] for which these tests were specifically requested, but also as a competitive product for the wider Southern African market. For us, the test results mean that our locally assembled stoves meet the ISO standards for biogas burners in terms of both thermal efficiency and emissions…Undoubtedly, this will impact positively our quest to provide sustainable energy solutions to climate-resilient nations around the world.”
To learn more about the S/CA Hub’s work with GreenZim Ventures reginald.mapfumo@tetratech.com.
