Tested at Likuni Girls’ Secondary School in Malawi

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED FOR THIS ENERGY TRANSITION ! 

Likuni Girls’ Secondary School (LKGSS), near Lilongwe in Malawi, is a boarding school for 600 girls. Until recently, the school used 300 kg of wood a day to cook vegetables and electricity to prepare Nsima (the maize polenta that accompanies all meals in Malawi). Thanks to the implementation of biogas technology, the school has now adopted a sustainable energy approach!

WE’VE COME FULL CIRCLE!

Biogas is a renewable energy source produced by the anaerobic (oxygen-free) decomposition of organic matter such as food waste and manure. This process generates methane-rich gas, used for cooking, and produces a natural organic fertilizer.

The project carried out by Energy Assistance in 2024, with the installation of a biogas system within the school itself, enables green, circular and non-intermittent energy to be produced on site. This technology offers a solution for recovering the school’s organic waste.

Thanks to this technology, the school can not only save on cooking energy and fertilizer costs, but also grow its own food organically. The pupils’ daily meals are now prepared without electricity or wood!

This initiative aims to combat deforestation, improve the school’s energy self-sufficiency (circular economy) and waste management, and reduce its carbon footprint.

BIOGAS BENEFITS

🔥 Free & clean cooking gas
🌿 Free & natural fertilizer
🌾 Improved energy self-sufficiency
♻️ Waste management and promotion of the circular economy
🌍 Reduction of carbon footprint
🌳 Fight against deforestation

For the school cook, the transition to biogas has been a real improvement in his working conditions. Previously, he had to breathe in the noxious smoke from burning wood on a daily basis, which posed health risks. Now, thanks to biogas, he can cook in a healthy environment, improving his well-being and quality of life while continuing to prepare nutritious meals for the young boarders.

IN PRACTICE …

The school has over 20 cows producing some 530 kg of dung per day. It also collects almost 200 kg of organic waste per day (vegetable food scraps, corn bran, etc.). The school also has an adequate water supply for biomass preparation, with a 50,000-liter tank.

The biomass used as raw material is a mixture composed of 1/3 organic waste (cow dung or other) and 2/3 water. This mixture is introduced into the digester by gravity, and the gas produced by fermentation emerges naturally from the top of the digester, is filtered and directed to the cooking stations in the kitchen, and the fertilizer is collected at the digester outlet.

Want to see how it works?  👉 Vidéo link

EXCELLENT COLLABORATION

Our warmest thanks go to Geneviève Raoult, Sarah Ouziaux and Michael di Marino, Energy Assistance volunteers, for their dedication and enthusiasm.

Many thanks also to Sister Amelia Nyendwa, school principal, for her exemplary commitment to this energy transition, and to Mphatso Elizabeth Gama and Clément Kandodo of EcoGen for their excellent collaboration.

New Era Schools in Malawi has collaborated with Energy Assistance sponsored by Fondation ENGIE to provide solar panels and batteries to its Girls’ Secondary and Primary Schools.

New Era School was the first school in Ntcheu District—and the entire country—to provide private education for girls back in 1993. Thirty one years later, the school has become a cherished local and national treasure. Thousands of its alumni have been sent to the best universities and many are working in the private and public sectors, and still it continues to provide quality but modern education for low to middle income households. Its core mission is to provide holistic education. That means IT literacy for all. But in a country where power outages are frequent, and the economy is hyper-unstable, the directors sought assistance to tackle the problem.

But in a country with frequent power cuts and a highly unstable economy, the directors asked Energy Assistance for help in tackling the problem. Gasoline-powered generators, used during power cuts, were neither environmentally friendly nor sustainable, and were very expensive.

Energy Assist installed 11 photovoltaic panels and 2 Lithium batteries as a backup to “New Era School’s connection to ESCOM (local provider).
The solar system (nearly 5 kWp with a storage capacity of 8.9 kWh) ensures constant electricity in critical areas such as foyers, classrooms, the computer room, along the school fence and in the main administration office.

It also enables to

• Provide consistent electricity, which is crucial for uninterrupted learning.
• Guarantee access to ICT equipment for students.
• Support the running of basic facilities such as lavatories and the kitchen.
• Enable longer study periods by providing light after dark.
• Improve security
• Reduce electricity costs, making funds available for other educational needs.
• Promote the use of renewable energy and reduces reliance on fossil fuels and encourage the students to do so.

Future projects and further development

Building on this partnership experience, the school management allows itself to dream bigger and go further in its commitment to education and the environment:

• It wishes to introduce biogas during the next school year in order to limit the use of firewood and to fight against deforestation and reduce its carbon footprint and is currently looking for partners to tackle this major problem in schools from Malawi.
• In order to improve the learning of information technologies, it introduced 50 educational tablets with which students can “self-learn”.

For the community at large, New Era Schools plans:

• To launch a women only access to ICT facilities lab that will also act as a safe space for women and children.
• To finish constructing its community business centre / ICT- business growth hub which will be available to the Ntcheu community.
• To open an emergency phone charging bay for the community.
• To help its teachers acquire solar lights in their own homes, so they can can assign and grade homework after dark or in blackouts

Learn more 👉 (vidéo)

Acknowledgments.

This wonderful project was initiated by Eva G., an environmentalist, who sought the assistance of Energy Assistance on behalf of New Era School. The Jesman family, the founders and proprietors of the school. The successful material installation was carried out by a dedicated local supplier, Go Solar, ensuring close after-sales service. A big thank you to the exceptional team of volunteers: Genevieve R., Michael d M., Sarah O. and to all supporters who have brought hope to the district and the people of Ntcheu. Thank you !