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Call for PhD Candidate
Environmental and economic life cycle assessment of biomass fuels in Kenya and Tanzania
Project background
CDE recently acquired the project “Knowledge support for sustainable renewable energy policies: The
prospects of pro-poor biomass energy value chains in rural–urban contexts in East Africa” in the frame of
the Research for Development call of the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNF) and the Swiss Agency for
Development Cooperation (SDC). The project combines a value chain approach at local scale with a spatial
analysis approach including life cycle assessments at meso-scale, in view of achieving an analytical
framework for integrating local biomass energy value chains into spatially explicit models of sustainable
biomass fuel production.
Key issue of the PhD research
National governments in East Africa have recognised the urgency of fostering poor households’ access to
renewable energy and of developing sustainable (i.e. socially acceptable, economically viable, technically
feasible, and environmentally sound) energy solutions. The project hypothesizes that there are nonindustrial value chains for biomass energy – e.g. charcoal, firewood, biogas, oleiferous crops – that are
technically feasible, environmentally sound, affordable, safe, and socially acceptable to the urban poor, and
that offer income for rural communities in urban catchments. However, there is a lack of knowledge of the
environmental impacts and the economic costs along the whole value chain of such biomass energy.
Research objective and questions
The PhD study will contribute to the project’s 1st research goal: To investigate the social acceptance,
economic viability, technical feasibility, and environmental impacts of alternative value chains for biomass
energy for cooking in two rural–urban contexts in Kenya and Tanzania, based on participatory development
of regional energy scenarios.
Main research question: What environmental impacts and economic costs do selected biomass fuels
generate along the value chain from production in rural to consumption in urban areas?
Specific research questions: (1) What are the potential of local biomass energy value chains for cooking? (2)
What are adequate economic and environmental indicators for a reliable assessment of selected value chains?
(3) What data is required for a reliable assessment of these indicators? What data is available? Where are
important gaps? (4) What methods are most appropriate for the acquisition of the missing data? (5) What
is the economic viability and environmental impacts of selected biomass energy value chains for cooking?
Methodology
Adapted environmental and economic life cycle assessment (LCA) and life cycle costing (LCC) methodology
based on ISO 14040 and 14044 standards: evaluation of data situation, collection of life cycle inventory
(LCI) data, analysis, and assessment enabling conclusions about environmental impacts and economic
viability. A standardised LCC method exists, but we assume that it does not adequately reflect Kenyan and
Tanzanian contexts. We will therefore work together with stakeholders to develop adequate cost indicators
that reflect the livelihood reality and evaluation criteria of the different actors along the selected value
chains.
Available data and existing knowledge gap
Ecoinvent/Empa have developed a comprehensive data inventory for various biomass fuels, which can be
used, but needs to be complemented and interlinked with specific data on the East African context from
literature review and surveys. Data on biomass energy costing in East Africa is incomplete, and probably
not specific to the study area and to the indicators defined by the stakeholders. Available information will
be collected in an initial literature review. An extensive survey among actors of the various value chains will
help to fill remaining information gaps.
Required competences
 Master in natural science or related fields, with a strong interest in economics
 Excellent skills in quantitative research, particularly in the acquisition, statistical analysis and
consolidation of life cycle inventory data.
 Good knowledge of the life cycle assessment (LCA) method, preferably through case studies
 High social competences in interacting with stakeholders at different levels.
 Excellent skills in oral and written communications (English).
 Experience in computer modelling and good skills using spreadsheet analysis.
 Great interest in working with an interdisciplinary and international team.
 Willingness to travel and work in the field.
 Great interest to learn, research, and outreach on sustainability issues
Expected outputs
 High quality LCI data for spatial modelling
 PhD thesis: Economic viability and environmental impacts of alternative value chains for biomass
energy for cooking in two rural–urban contexts in Kenya and Tanzania.
 At least one peer-reviewed paper as main author and one policy brief
 Conference paper
Note: Outputs 3 and 4 will be produced in collaboration with other researchers of the project.
What the research project offers
 Work in an inter- and transdisciplinary and international team
 PhD salary according to Kenyan standards during 3 years
 Field expenses, travel allowances
 Supervision at CETRAD; Kenya with scientific backstopping by Rainer Zah and Jürgen Reinhard (life cycle
specialists) at Quantis International
Place of field study
Mwingi (Kenya) and Dodoma (Tanzania)
Timeframe
October to December 2013: PhD outline formulation.
January 2014 to December 2016: PhD research work.
Application
Please submit applications including letter of interest and CV not later than September 6th 2013 to:
Boniface Kiteme, Centre for Training and Research in ASAL Development (CETRAD), Nanyuki, Kenya
([email protected])
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