Sustainable energy from coffee waste

Solidaridad supports farmers on several levels. Training to produce sustainably is one of them. Solidaridad therefore, joint a pilot project in Nicaragua to produce energy from coffee waste. This generates extra income sources and reduces environmental impacts. The projectconsortium is formed by UTZ CERTIFIED, Fundación UTZ Kapeh and the Climate Neutral Group.

Target

To contribute towards the sustainable energy utilisation in the coffee sector. To achieve this goal, the project partners will optimise the technology and equipment design so that technology becomes available to large numbers of coffee processors.

Reason

Small scale coffee producers in Central America are having a hard time to obtain sufficient income for their families. With this project, coffee producers can profit from renewable energy sources.

Activities

• Develop, test and evaluate the technology of biogas production from coffee waste.
• Implement a Carbon Credit pilot project to investigate the possibilities.
• Roll out the pilots to other countries.

Results

• Industrial designs, equipment and economic analyses will be available for generating biogas from coffee wastes for the generation of clean energy.
• Certification possibilities will be developed, to augment the economic viability of biogas systems.
• Recommended practices for coffee processors will be introduced through the UTZ CERTIFIED and Solidaridad Network in Latin America.

Facts

Duration: the project will take place from April 2010 to April 2014 in Nicaragua, Honduras and Guatemala.
Partners: UTZ CERTIFIED, Fundación Utz Kapeh, Climate Neutral Group, BZ Innovations, Aceres Consultores and Solidaridad.
Funded by: the Dutch ‘’Biomassa Mondiaal’’ fund of Agentschap NL, an agency of the Ministry of Economic Affairs.