Traditional Cooking Fuels - The traditional cooking fuel of households caught in the poverty trap in most parts of the world is firewood from forests and mangroves. This source of energy is free and often the only accessible energy for households with limited income or access to jobs. In the past, this resource was plentiful and renewable. However, as populations grew and sources diminished, the balance needed to keep forests and mangroves sustainable has long been surpassed. Every year, the amount of areas covered by forest and mangroves accessible to the households who need them as cooking fuel source have decreased while the population has increased.
Replacement Cooking Fuels - Substitute sources of cooking fuels have been around for a long time. However, the world's poor has not had access to them. The reasons are varied, but often they point to lack of income.
FFTA hopes to use carbon revenues to bring replacement fuels within a livelihood project to these households. There is a wide range of emerging clean energy technology. FFTA will focus on those types that promote or are a result of a livelihood. These include:
Biogas – Biogas or gas that has a high methane content can be used for cooking. It is a naturally occurring emission of animal manure, garbage and agricultural waste. The gas can be captured and connected to a burner. The by-product of biogas production is liquid and solid fertilizer. mangrove wood per year.
Efficient Cookstoves – Cookstoves designed for higher efficiency than the traditional three-stone cookstove without vents that use traditional fuels such as charcoal or firewood. Newer and more efficient designs can reduce the amount of biomass used for traditional cooking.
Ethanol Cookstoves – Ethanol is a liquid that can be produced from corn, yams and other agricultural products. Cookstoves that use ethanol can replace the use of mangrove and forest wood for cooking. Households can plant and harvest sweet potato in exchange for ethanol.
Waste to Energy Streams - Garbage and agricultural waste can be used to produce energy for cooking. Methane from biodegradable waste and electricity from on-biodegradable garbage are potential source of replacement fuels that FFTA will develop projects around.
