Clean cooking, less firewood – cookstoves with Article 6 authorization (no CA)
DelAgua Clean Cooking Grouped Project in Rwanda
The DelAgua Clean Cooking Grouped Project in Rwanda (VCS 4150) targets a place where emissions and daily burdens are created every day: cooking on three-stone fires and other simple, inefficient wood stoves.
The project distributes fuel-saving improved cookstoves (ICS) to households in Rwanda—designed as a practical alternative that works in everyday use. The stoves follow a rocket-stove design and are built to operate significantly more efficiently than traditional cooking methods. As a result, households need less firewood—and that is exactly where measurable emission reductions come from: lower biomass consumption, fewer emissions from combustion, and reduced pressure on wood resources.
A project that shows how simple, robust cooking technology can combine climate impact with everyday benefits: less fuel, less smoke, and a clear lever on emissions—right where cooking happens every day.
Technical project data – VCS 4150
The key facts of the cookstove project at a glance.
| Parameter | Description | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Project location | Rwanda; distribution to rural households within the defined project boundary (grouped project). | ReQ PD v6.0, Section 1.13 (Project Location) |
| Project type | Clean Cooking / Improved Cookstoves (ICS): distribution & installation of efficient cookstoves to reduce fuel consumption and emissions from biomass cooking. | JPDMR v6, Sections 1.11–1.12 (Project Activity Description) |
| Standard | Verra Verified Carbon Standard (VCS) (PD currently under VCS Version 4.x). | ReQ PD v6.0, cover + Section 1 (Project Details) |
| Methodology | Cookstove methodology under VCS; the applicable methodology is referenced in the methodology update / requantification context. | Requantification Verification Report, section “Methodology applied / Previous & new methodology” |
| Project start date | 11 Oct 2021 (start of actual stove distribution; grouped project start date). | JPDMR, Section 1.8 (Project Start Date) |
| Crediting period | 11 Oct 2021 – 10 Oct 2028 (first crediting period; renewable under VCS rules). | JPDMR, Section 1.9 (Crediting Period) |
| Project status | VCS registered; monitoring & independent verification form the basis for issuance. | VCS project page + verification documentation |
| Technology | High-efficiency biomass cookstoves (rocket-stove design), improved heat transfer and more efficient combustion vs. open fires / three-stone fires. | ReQ PD v6.0, Section 1.12 (Project Activity) |
| Stove models (examples) | e.g., BURN Kuniokoa (Gen 2/3), SSM S32-X, Ecoa Wood (Gen 3) (models may be expanded if methodology-compliant). | ReQ PD v6.0, Section 1.12 + stove specification pages |
| Thermal efficiency (examples) | Significantly above baseline, e.g. ~45–52% (model-dependent; often reported with/without pot skirt). | ReQ PD v6.0, stove specification section |
| Stove lifetime (typical) | Typically stated up to ~10 years per stove model (model-dependent). | ReQ PD v6.0, stove specification section |
| Core impact mechanism | Less firewood use through more efficient stoves → reduced non-renewable biomass (fNRB) and resulting emission reductions. | JPDMR, baseline/monitoring & ER calculation sections |
| Monitoring & verification | MRV using distribution and usage data, surveys/KPT approaches, QA/QC; independent verification by accredited VVBs prior to issuance. | JPDMR, Section 6 (Monitoring) + Verification Report |
| Additionality | Additionality is justified in line with VCS requirements/analyses. | ReQ PD v6.0, Section 3.5 (Additionality) |
| Long-term nature of reductions | Reductions accrue over the usage lifetime of the distributed stoves—multi-year, usage-dependent (not a one-off effect). | JPDMR, Sections 1.9 / 6 |
| Permanence | Usage-dependent emission avoidance in the household sector (no physical permanence like forestry projects). | PD, project boundary/type sections |
| Risk management & assurance | Managed via monitoring and QA/QC processes, plausibility checks within the MRV system, and independent verification. | JPDMR, Section 6 + QA/QC |
| Social & environmental safeguards | Safeguards and stakeholder processes documented under the VCS project context. | ReQ PD v6.0, Section 2 (Safeguards & Stakeholder Engagement) |
| Article 6 Authorization (LoA) available | An Article 6 Letter of Authorization (LoA) from the host country is available for this project; the authorized uses and the applicable vintage/time range are specified. | Verra Article 6 LOA Assessment, p. 1 (authorization date / vintage range / authorized uses) |
| Corresponding Adjustment (CA) – not included in this offer | This offer relates to authorized credits without a corresponding adjustment being specified. Where a CA is available, it is typically linked to the specific transfer/use case and is usually identified/marketed separately. | LOA Assessment / offer documentation (implementation details; e.g., “authorization limitations / first transfer”) |
| Carbon credit rating | No external rating (e.g., BeZero/Sylvera) stated in the available documentation. | Project documentation overview |
| CCP status (ICVCM) | No information stated in the available project documentation. | Project documentation overview |
| Handling double-counting risks | No parallel programmes within project rules; issuance/serialisation/retirement via registry processes; Article 6 authorisation (CA) documented separately. | PD, Section 1.16 + LOA Assessment, p. 1 |
What the project can contribute
Here we summarize what the project is actually intended to achieve and which practical improvements it can enable.
- 1
Efficient cooking instead of three-stone fires
The project replaces widely used, inefficient cooking setups with improved cookstoves (ICS). The lever is straightforward: less fuel per meal—and therefore measurable emission reductions in the household sector.
- 2
Save firewood – ease daily pressure
Needing less wood each day has an immediate effect: less time spent collecting fuel, lower expenses, and more predictability for households. This benefit happens at every cooking event, not “someday.”
- 3
Reduce pressure on wood resources
A major part of the climate impact comes from lowering the use of non-renewable biomass. Less wood demand means less stress on local resources—a small, but relevant contribution against overuse.
- 4
Support real use—not just distribution
The project focuses not only on handing out stoves, but also on onboarding, follow-up and usage evidence. That helps turn “a stove in the home” into “a stove in use”—which ultimately determines real-world impact.
- 5
Less smoke in everyday cooking
More efficient combustion often also means less smoke and a noticeably better indoor situation. This is not an extra climate claim, but a plausible everyday effect that can improve acceptance and sustained use.
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Global climate relevance
Avoid emissions where daily life happens
Cooking with biomass is a major, often overlooked driver of emissions worldwide. Efficient cookstoves tackle exactly this: they reduce household fuel demand and avoid emissions in a sector that is rarely structurally regulated—but happens millions of times every day.
Less biomass, less resource pressure
The climate benefit follows a simple chain: less wood per meal → lower demand → less non-renewable biomass. This shows how household climate action can be effective through consumption reduction.
Less smoke, stronger uptake
Efficient stoves burn fuel more cleanly than open fires. This can reduce indoor smoke and make cooking more comfortable. These effects are not a separate climate mechanism—but they can stabilise everyday use and therefore support more reliable climate impact.
Additionality through climate finance
Scaling distribution requires funding for logistics, onboarding, monitoring and quality control. Carbon market revenues can enable and accelerate that structure—so the impact doesn’t remain at pilot volumes, but works as a programme.
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) – The relevant and the complementary contributions
Beyond emission reductions, the DelAgua Clean Cooking Grouped Project in Rwanda (VCS 4150) changes daily cooking routines for many households: more efficient technology, lower fuel needs and practical effects around adoption and implementation. This supports several UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The main contributions are to SDG 7 (Affordable and Clean Energy) and SDG 13 (Climate Action). Other SDGs are supported secondarily; some are best classified as “boundary contributions” because they are not part of the project’s core mechanism.
The project provides households with more efficient cookstoves (ICS), replacing widely used, inefficient cooking setups. This reduces the amount of fuel needed per meal—making cooking more energy-efficient and more practical in daily life.
Contribution: More efficient energy use for cooking and lower household fuel consumption.The climate impact comes from reduced fuel use: less biomass demand means fewer emissions from combustion. Emission reductions are transparently documented under the VCS framework through monitoring and verification.
Contribution: Measurable greenhouse gas reductions through more efficient cooking methods in the household sector.If households spend less money on fuel, this can reduce day-to-day financial pressure. This is not the core climate mechanism, but a typical side effect of more efficient cooking technology.
Contribution: Indirect relief for household budgets through reduced fuel needs.Distribution, maintenance, training, logistics and local services create recurring activities and therefore employment effects in the project context.
Contribution: Supporting employment and service effects around distribution and ongoing operation.More efficient cookstoves can reduce smoke exposure and improve indoor air quality—depending on how the stove is used, the cooking environment and the fuel. This is a supporting effect, but relevant for acceptance and sustained use.
Contribution: Indirect health benefits through potentially lower smoke and pollutant exposure during cooking.Time savings and reduced effort for fuel collection can create room for other activities—e.g., attending school or studying. This is not “guaranteed” by the project, but a plausible indirect effect.
Contribution: Indirect support through reduced household time burden (time/organisation), without education being a project core focus.In many households, cooking and fuel management are often handled mainly by women. More efficient cooking technology can reduce this daily burden. At the same time, this is typically a supporting effect rather than a primary project objective.
Contribution: Indirect relief in household routines and potentially reduced burdens in everyday cooking.Lower biomass demand can reduce pressure on local wood resources. This is supportive, but it does not replace a direct forest protection mechanism.
Contribution: Indirect relief for forest and biomass resources through reduced fuel consumption.
How CO₂ savings are generated
Efficient cookstoves significantly reduce daily fuel demand. When less wood or charcoal is burned per meal, fewer emissions from combustion occur—this is the project’s climate impact in Rwanda.
The saved fuel amount can be quantified and forms the basis for issuing carbon credits.
Traditional cooking setups often waste heat: fuel consumption is high because much of the energy escapes. Improved cookstoves transfer heat to the pot more efficiently and therefore require less fuel for the same cooking output.
For emission calculations, the project systematically compares:
Baseline: typical fuel use without the project
Project: actual fuel use with the improved stove
The difference is the avoided fuel consumption. Using recognised emission factors (and project-specific assumptions around non-renewable biomass), this is converted into avoided emissions. The underlying data is collected, documented and regularly independently verified—and carbon credits are issued on that basis.
Classification and transparency
This cookstove project is registered under the Verra Verified Carbon Standard (VCS) and is regularly monitored and independently verified as required by the standard.
The claimed emission reductions are based on documented project data (e.g., distribution, usage, fuel and efficiency assumptions) and are calculated using an approved methodology. Credits are issued only after successful monitoring and verification and are uniquely serialised in the registry.
This offer includes credits with a Corresponding Adjustment (CA). That means the host country has authorised the emission reductions for international use and applies the corresponding adjustment under the Article 6 framework, to help avoid double claiming (e.g., the same reductions being counted both nationally and by the buyer). For communications, this is an additional transparency point: VCS quality + MRV—and, on top of that, Article 6 authorisation with CA for the authorised vintages/uses.