CREEC AT ENERGY FAIR IN KITGUM
The CREEC team attended the energy fair in Kitgum district from 26th-29th October 2015 at Boma grounds. The energy fair aimed to increase awareness on renewable energy and energy efficient technologies so that the community can become better stewards in the utilization of all forms of energy. It was also meant to promote the sale and utilization of renewable energy and energy efficient technologies which will in turn help the private sector in the promotion of their products and create market linkages.
The fair provided a platform for engaging stakeholders and establishing dialogue on the many challenging aspects of the energy sector. CREEC played a big role in emphasizing the benefits that come as a result of utilizing sustainable technologies like solar, bio-energy, gasification and hydro power.
A member of the CREEC team explaining the various alternative fuels that are available for cooking
Majority of the people in Kitgum depend on traditional methods of cooking therefore they were very interested in the alternative fuels of cooking. CREEC has done extensive research on various alternative fuels like maize kobs, cowdung, ricehusks, briquettes, bio-ethanol, saw dust and pellets therefore this was the perfect opportunity to give the people exposure and to help them understand how they can be used. The CREEC team was also able to eradicate some of the misconceptions that people had about some of the alternative forms of energy like faecal sludge pellets and biogas by assuring them that they are clean and efficient to use.
Practical demonstrations were also held to show the people how the different stoves are used and also to teach them how to distinguish an efficient cookstove from a normal or traditional cookstove. The demonstrations also helped to confirm that alternative fuels like briquettes and pellets can be used to cook and are more efficient than regular charcoal. CREEC will continue using such channels to ensure that the general community receives the necessary information to help them adopt sustainable forms of energy.