Through special stoves, a nongovernmental organization based in Costa Rica managed to take energy to more than 200,000 Central Americans of scarce resources in the region. Most of the beneficiaries live in isolated areas.
The work was achieved after the Red de Energía Foundation (BUN-CA) and the Central American Fund for Access to Energy and Poverty Reduction (FOCAEP) developed improved stoves that use firewood for cooking.
The entity promotes the adoption of improved wood stoves. These reduce the consumption of firewood to cook food and allow small-scale hydroelectricity and solar energy systems to provide energy to homes and micro-enterprises, which are isolated from the public network.
By the end of 2018, the Fund expects to complete the installation of about 40 thousand improved wood stoves, mainly in remote areas of Nicaragua, Honduras, and Guatemala.
In addition, it is estimated that the project mitigates 43 thousand tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) per year and has contributed to saving 60 thousand tons of firewood.