Inyenyeri Fuel Pellets

Target SDGs

Market Suggested Retail Price

$6.50

Target Users (Target Impact Group)

Household

Distributors / Implementing Organizations

Inyenyeri and UN Refugee Agency

Manufacturing/Building Method

The product is manufactured in a Pellet Factory located in Gisenyi. The equipment used is a design by Buskirk Engineering but it is operated by a locally Rwandan trained staff. The factory has a production capacity of 15 tons per day which serves about 10,000 customers.

Intellectural Property Type

Trademark

User Provision Model

The pellets can be obtained through Inyenyeri's Collection Hubs or Retail Shops. The Rural Collection Hubs are located in rural areas where collecting firewood is the norm, whilst the Urban Stores are located in areas where the charcoal is the norm.

Distributions to Date Status

Between 2013 until 2017, Inyenyeri had over 2,000 customers of their Fuel+Stove system. By year end 2018 the company aims to serve 30,000 households.

Design Specifications

The fuel pellets are made from a mixture of dry biomass (agricultural waste, etc.) that would otherwise be collected and burned as waste by rural Rwandan households. Wood from trees is not used.

Product Schematics

Technical Support

Support staff available by phone or in person.

Replacement Components

None

Lifecycle

Single use

Manufacturer Specified Performance Parameters

Manufacturers specify performance targets including: 25% savings compared to charcoal, long lasting (1 kg burns ~ 1.5 hrs), and 92% less wood usage compared to charcoal.

Vetted Performance Status

Through a partnership with UNHCR, Inyenyeri provided 300 refugee families in Kigeme camp with their Stove+Fuel solution. These families stated that cooking with the stove had a positive impact on their health by reducing their exposure to toxic emissions. The UNHCR also stated that the biomass required to cook meals reduced by 80-90% compared to the baseline.

Safety

Fuel pellets are usually a safe fuel for small users like households. However, since they are made with combustible materials, the risk of fire will always be a concern as well as harmful gases emissions like carbon dioxide and monoxide, nitrogen oxides, and hydrocarbons.  

Complementary Technical Systems

The Inyenyeri Fuel Pellets are part of Inyenyeri's Fuel+Stove system. The type and quantity of stoves depends on the size of the family.

Academic Research and References

Compliance with regulations

Unknown

Evaluation methods

A randomized control trial to determine the impact of Inyenyeri’s business model was conducted from 2015-2017. However, technical evaluation for the biomass pellets is unknown

Other Information

Inyenyeri's biomass pellets are part of their Fuel+Stove system, in which they offer high-tech stoves to customers that agree to buy their fuel.