Biogas Installation in rural educational institutions

Phase: 2

Status: Completed

Related Strategic Priority Outcomes: Accelerated NDC action and project/program implementation

Summary of Activity:

Vanuatu’s NDC pledge aims to transition from diesel-generated electricity to about 100% renewable energy for electricity production in their electricity sector by 2030. This will greatly reduce greenhouse gas emissions from Vanuatu’s electricity sector as opposed to a business-as-usual (BAU) scenario. Vanuatu has been encouraging grid-connected renewable energy projects, and it has also initiated some off-grid projects which have proven very useful for some of their rural communities.

One of these initiatives is the utilization of organic waste (green waste and food scraps) to generate biogas via anaerobic digestion. Vanuatu has already seen the multitude of benefits from the biogas systems already installed at two of their rural educational institutions – Onesua Presbyterian College in North Efate and Vanuatu Agriculture College.

Biogas systems offer an excellent waste management option, especially for green waste, animal waste and food scraps where methanogenic bacteria break down the waste to yield methane which can be used as cooking gas or electricity-generation. The overflow from the system can be diluted and used as fertilizer which is completely organic and can revitalize the soil with rich nutrients for better crop yields. By encouraging the use of biogas technology, the reliance on biomass (fuelwood and firewood) for cooking can be reduced along with GHG emissions from burning biomass.

This activity will see the installation of biogas systems in two (2) rural educational institutions in Vanuatu: Matevulu College and St. Patrick’s College.

Consultants will work closely with the Vanuatu Department of Climate Change to collect relevant data for their feasibility study. They will also be responsible in procuring and installing the biogas systems, carry out trainings so institutions can maintain and sustain the systems themselves, commission and test the system, submitting the operational and maintenance manuals and officially handing over the fully functional systems.

Implementing Partner: SPREP