PhD Candidate - Environmental and economic life cycle assess- ment of biomass fuels in Kenya and Tanzania

Call for PhD Candidate

Environmental and economic life cycle assess-
ment of biomass fuels in Kenya and Tanzania

Project background

CDE recently acquired the project “Knowledge support for sustainable renewable energy policies: The prospects of pro-poor biomass energy value chains in rural–urban contexts in East Africa” in the frame of the Research for Development call of the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNF) and the Swiss Agency for Development Cooperation (SDC). The project combines a value chain approach at local scale with a spatial analysis approach including life cycle assessments at meso-scale, in view of achieving an analytical framework for integrating local biomass energy value chains into spatially explicit models of sustainable biomass fuel production.

Key issue of the PhD research

National governments in East Africa have recognised the urgency of fostering poor households’ access to renewable energy and of developing sustainable (i.e. socially acceptable, economically viable, technically feasible, and environmentally sound) energy solutions. The project hypothesizes that there are non-industrial value chains for biomass energy – e.g. charcoal, firewood, biogas, oleiferous crops – that are technically feasible, environmentally sound, affordable, safe, and socially acceptable to the urban poor, and that offer income for rural communities in urban catchments. However, there is a lack of knowledge of the environmental impacts and the economic costs along the whole value chain of such biomass energy.

Research objective and questions

The PhD study will contribute to the project’s 1^st research goal: To investigate the social acceptance, economic viability, technical feasibility, and environmental impacts of alternative value chains for biomass energy for cooking in two rural–urban contexts in Kenya and Tanzania, based on participatory development of regional energy scenarios.

Main research question: What environmental impacts and economic costs do selected biomass fuels generate along the value chain from production in rural to consumption in urban areas?

Specific research questions: (1) What are the potential of local biomass energy value chains for cooking? (2) What are adequate economic and environmental indicators for a reliable assessment of selected value chains? (3) What data is required for a reliable assessment of these indicators? What data is available? Where are important gaps? (4) What methods are most appropriate for the acquisition of the missing data? (5) What is theeconomic viability and environmental impacts of selected biomass energy value chains for cooking?

Methodology

Adapted environmental and economic life cycle assessment (LCA) and life cycle costing (LCC) methodology based on ISO 14040 and 14044 standards: evaluation of data situation, collection of life cycle inventory (LCI) data, analysis, and assessment enabling conclusions about environmental impacts and economic viability. A standardised LCC method exists, but we assume that it does not adequately reflect Kenyan and Tanzanian contexts. We will therefore work together with stakeholders to develop adequate cost indicators that reflect the livelihood reality and evaluation criteria of the different actors along the selected value chains.

Available data and existing knowledge gap

Ecoinvent/Empa have developed a comprehensive data inventory for various biomass fuels, which can be used, but needs to be complemented and interlinked with specific data on the East African context from literature review and surveys. Data on biomass energy costing in East Africa is incomplete, and probably not specific to the study area and to the indicators defined by the stakeholders. Available information will be collected in an initial literature review. An extensive survey among actors of the various value chains will help to fill remaining information gaps.

Required competences

·         Master in natural science or related fields, with a strong interest in economics

·         Excellent skills in quantitative research, particularly in the acquisition, statistical analysis and consolidation of life cycle inventory data.

·         Good knowledge of the life cycle assessment (LCA) method, preferably through case studies

·         High social competences in interacting with stakeholders at different levels.

·         Excellent skills in oral and written communications (English).

·         Experience in computer modelling and good skills using spreadsheet analysis.

·         Great interest in working with an interdisciplinary and international team.

·         Willingness to travel and work in the field.

·         Great interest to learn, research, and outreach on sustainability issues

Expected outputs

·         High quality LCI data for spatial modelling

·         PhD thesis: Economic viability and environmental impacts of alternative value chains for biomass energy for cooking in two rural–urban contexts in Kenya and Tanzania.

·         At least one peer-reviewed paper as main author and one policy brief

·         Conference paper

Note: Outputs 3 and 4 will be produced in collaboration with other researchers of the project.

What the research project offers

·         Work in an inter- and transdisciplinary and international team

·         PhD salary according to Kenyan standards during 3 years

·         Field expenses, travel allowances

·         Supervision at CETRAD; Kenya with scientific backstopping by Rainer Zah and Jürgen Reinhard (life cycle specialists) at Quantis International

Place of field study

Mwingi (Kenya) and Dodoma (Tanzania)

Timeframe

October to December 2013: PhD outline formulation.

January 2014 to December 2016: PhD research work.

Application

Please submit applications including letter of interest and CV not later than September 6^th 2013 to: Boniface Kiteme, Centre for Training and Research in ASAL Development (CETRAD), Nanyuki, Kenya (b.kiteme@africaonline.co.ke)