The impact of Eden's Climate Fund

ClimateCare is widely acknowledged as one of the UK’s best and most ethical offset providers, leading on the development of really credible carbon reduction initiatives.

Mulan wind farm, China

The problem: soaring energy consumption

China is reputed to be commissioning a new coal-fired power station every 5 days to keep up with a surge in demand as the economy expands.

A preliminary study by the Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency (2007) indicated that China's greenhouse gas emissions for 2006 had exceeded those of the United States for the first time. In a country this size, where the government has emphasised raising personal income and consumption to help increase productivity, it is no surprise that China's energy consumption is expected to double by 2020.

Since coal-generated power dominates the grid in China, there very high greenhouse gas emissions are released for each unit of electricity generated (about 0.9kg per kWh – which is twice as ‘dirty’ as that in the UK).

The Chinese government aims to accelerate the development of other renewable sources of power within China to meet some of this need for electricity. The abundant wind of Heilongjiang province can be used for clean power generation.

The solution: turbines in a windy region

The Mulan wind farm is located approximately 170km NE of Harbin City in Heilongjiang – the northernmost province of China. The area is known for having one of the coldest climates in Asia with howling Siberian gales common in winter and temperatures reaching -30oC.

The wind farm is situated on top of the only hills in Mulan County, making the most of the strong regional wind speeds (measured as 7.8 m/s at 25m). The approach to the site travels through a flat harsh landscape, dotted with poor rural villages where people farm corn to make a living. There are 20 wind turbines in total, each standing 50m to the top of the tower and rated at 600 kW in capacity. The total wind farm generates approximately 25 GWh of electricity each year, offsetting an estimated 28,000 tonnes of CO2 annually.

The emission reductions are made by reducing the amount of electricity that would have been generated by conventional fossil fuels such as coal or gas.

Positive knock-on effects of the wind farms

Social: The wind farm creates employment in the area during the design, assembly and installation of wind turbines and also through operation and maintenance contracts with the wind farm up and running. In addition, residents of Heilongjiang are very aware of energy because the province suffers very cold winters of between -10 and -300C; wind farms in this area therefore provide a valuable example of clean generation to local communities.

Mr Fang, the manager of Mulan, related how the wind farm benefits many people in the local area through the construction of a road to bring in the wind farm materials. He explained that the road now provided a link to the hills which are an important community resource because they house many herbs used in traditional Chinese medicine. The new road has opened up trade of these local ingredients, commonly used across China.

Economic: The wind farm will contribute to stimulating the wind power industry in China. Wind generation has to overcome significant financial and common practice barriers to become operational. Investing in thermal power plants is common practice in this area of China and requires half the monetary investment per MW capacity installed compared to wind.

Environmental: The Mulan wind farm is generating clean renewable electricity in a country dominated by coal-fired generation. This will result in a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions and other pollutants such as SO2 and soot. A 1998 World Health Organisation report on air quality in 272 cities worldwide concluded that seven of the 10 most polluted cities were in China. Respiratory and heart diseases related to air pollution are the leading causes of death in China.

Lao stoves, Cambodia

The problem: inefficient cooking stoves

The majority of Cambodian people depend on fuel-wood daily for cooking, most commonly using the Lao stove. This traditional stove uses charcoal produced from earth mound kilns, a process that is inefficient and is responsible for high emissions of greenhouse gases

The solution: better designed stoves

The project involves replacing the traditional Lao stove with an efficiency of 25% with an improved Lao stove having an efficiency of 29%. The programme is run by GERES (www.geres.eu).

Although the efficiency gain may seem small, it leads to a 22% cut in demand for charcoal and consequent reduction in greenhouse gases from charcoal production and cooking.

This project aims to transform the cooking market in Cambodia, overcoming many barriers in the process: developing the stove, developing the sales channels, improving sales techniques, marketing the stove and management training. Distribution channels are set up from producers to retailers to users, with training provided for the producers and retailers.

Knock-on benefits of the stoves

Social: The project is building the country's capacity in technical skills to manufacture, market and sell the improved cooking stove.

Health: The new stoves are less smokey, reducing the number of pollution-related health problems.

Economic: Reducing the amount of fuel used for cooking saves money.

Environmental: Some 369,000 tonnes of wood fuel are consumed for charcoal production annually, destroying 45km2 of deciduous forests. Only 3% of this re-grows, which translates to an average loss of 197,000 ha annually. The project helps to reduce this loss by reducing demand.