Charcoal Stoves in Kenya

Charcoal Stoves in Kenya project deploys improved charcoal stoves (ICS) to households across Kenya, replacing inefficient traditional stoves and three-stone fires widely used for cooking. The initiative targets both rural and urban communities, where charcoal remains a significant cooking fuel.

Traditional stoves that burn solid biomass fuels like wood and charcoal release high levels of particulate matter, contributing to hazardous indoor air pollution. In Kenya, household air pollution is responsible for approximately 23,000 deaths annually, disproportionately affecting women and children who spend the most time near cooking areas. The project addresses these serious health, environmental, and economic challenges by offering a cleaner, more efficient alternative.

At the heart of the project are Biolite’s high-efficiency charcoal stoves (Tier 5, ISO-IWA), which achieve thermal efficiency rates of 50–60%. The improved cookstoves deployed under the project are engineered to enhance fuel combustion within the stove chamber, allowing for better heat transfer and significantly lower emissions of smoke, black soot, and PM. These stoves help households cut charcoal usage (fuel consumption and a corresponding drop in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions associated with the use of non-renewable biomass), lower daily energy expenses, save time on fuel collection, and improve indoor air quality. The project leverages carbon finance to overcome one of the biggest barriers to adoption—upfront cost—making these clean technologies more accessible to end users.

The project is underpinned by a robust monitoring and verification system where each stove is tagged with a unique serial number at the point of distribution, and trained local partners collect usage and impact data throughout the crediting period. This information is stored in a central electronic data management system to ensure transparent and reliable reporting. To maintain data integrity, BioLite incentivizes its distribution partners with a carbon rebate that is paid only upon accurate submission of verified data. This rebate represents the distributor’s full product margin, creating strong motivation to uphold data quality and accountability.

To date, more than 198,000 improved charcoal stoves have been distributed under the project. In 2023 alone, the initiative delivered 450,000 tCO₂e in verified emission reductions. Led by BioLite a B-Corp and Climate Label-certified for-profit social enterprise, the project exemplifies clean energy innovation, effective last-mile distribution, and measurable impact at scale. This project has an estimated rating by Sylvera of BB-B. 

The Charcoal Stoves in Kenya project in numbers:

• USD $185 million in household savings
• 1.4 million lives impacted
• 150+ local jobs created