Berkeley Air’s Project Archive

Berkeley Air is conducting an impact evaluation study assessing changes to indoor air quality in low-income New York housing developments following the swap out of gas cooking appliances with electric appliances for a potential reduction in exposure to pollutants harmful to human health in the home.

Berkeley Air is providing expertise to an exposure assessment for pregnant and new mothers in informal settlements in Nairobia, Kenya, as part of an implementation science program funded by USAID. The ultimate study goal is to produce an activity- and location-based characterization of exposures to air pollution for mothers and children. We are partnered with Jacaranda Health and Population Services…

Berkeley Air is carrying out a research project entitled, “Effectiveness of improved cookstoves (ICS) in regular cooking in reducing the exposure to indoor air pollution compared to traditional stoves” in Bangladesh. We aim to assess the effectiveness of improved cooking technologies in reducing personal levels of exposure to indoor air pollution, which impacts the respiratory health of families. The project…

Berkeley Air is a part of a research initiative to quantify the benefits provided by switching from traditional cooking technologies to biogas stoves in rural Kenya. We will be focusing specifically on health and gender impacts by monitoring personal exposure to pollutants and characterizing how participants spend their time after this energy transition.

Berkeley Air provided consulting to the Clean Cooking Alliance in the development of their Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) Framwork, a tool that provides definitions and strategy for monitoring and evaluating the performance of the CCA’s various programs against the priorities and goals outlined in the Theory of Change, which focuses on universal access to clean cooking by 2030.

Berkeley Air is leading a long-term source apportionment investigation in the Coachella Valley region in Southern California, characterizing contributions of pollutants that have the potential to negatively affect marginalized populations in the area through monitoring and analysis of ambient air. We are partnered with the Public Health Institute and Comité Civico del Valle.

Berkeley Air is providing support to a collaborative agreement between the United States Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA) and Colorado State University designed to advance learning and capacity building within the household energy sector. Activities include webinars, panel discussion, briefing documents, and collaboration on standards.

Berkeley Air is a part of a team with Oregon State University, the University of Colorado, Climate Solutions Consulting, and the Haitian Energy Institute to collaborate with the Clean Cooking Alliance to provide key data to support evidence-based decision making for the new market development initiative in Haiti. Primary objectives include: quantifying baseline and improved technology emissions; quantifying household fuel…

In this project Berkeley Air measured and explored gender impacts, namely time use and levels of perceived drudgery, in female cooks after the installation of an improved wood burning stove. Using a mixed method approach, data was collected using focus group discussions, and quantitative and qualitative surveys, in 75 HH located in two rural communities in eastern Zambia. Indicators measured…

The core focus of this project was to develop and assess modeling approaches to estimate personal exposure in Kenyan homes where household fuel combustion contributes substantially to household air pollution. The models to be developed, further refined, and validated for the project will be valuable tools for policy-makers and researchers. The single-zone model at the core of this proposal is…

Members of Berkeley Air’s technical team traveled to Rwanda for two weeks in May and June of 2019 to complete a formal training in the Kitchen Performance Testing Protocol for roughly twenty District Managers at DelAgua Rwanda, a social benefit company interested in solutions for reducing household air pollution, and providing clean drinking water, among other initiatives. After a resounding…

Berkeley Air, Colorado State University, and the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) are working on a collaborative effort to build field testing capacity in the household energy sector. To that end, the team coordinated and conducted a workshop in Beijing, China, followed by a site visit to Shandong Province. These and upcoming activities are specifically focused on pellet-burning stoves,…

Berkeley Air is leading a consortium to review RBF methodologies used for health, gender, and climate in the household energy sector. The methodological recommendations from that review will be applied to a field study quantifying the above-mentioned co-benefits of the Sistema Biogas program in rural Kenya. The review and practical experience will inform updates to RBF methods for World Bank…

Berkeley Air was contracted by the government of Peru to conduct a large-scale assessment of the fuel and emissions impacts of Peru’s national stove program, in pursuit of their commitments made to mitigate climate change, under a national plan known as a NAMA (nationally appropriate mitigation action). This assessment included kitchen performance testing, surveys, and literature review of a caliber…

Berkeley Air undertook a comprehensive assessment of fuel use and technology adoption of improved cookstoves and pellet fuels in 200 refugee households in Kigeme Camp, Rwanda. Berkeley Air utilized a cross-sectional mixed methods study design which included survey and instrument-based monitoring for households throughout the camp, including Inyenyeri’s customer base.

Berkeley Air developed a fit-for-purpose impact assessment tool for Global Good’s cookstove improvement project, summarizing existing implementation data and identifying appropriate inputs to model health benefits using the Household Air Pollution Intervention Tool (HAPIT).

Berkeley Air conducted a rapid field test of an LPG intervention focused on households in per-urban Accra, Ghana. The team monitored ambient polllution, household air pollution, personal exposure to PM2.5, and stove usage through air pollution instrumentation and temperature-based sensing. Study results were used as inputs in the HAPIT modeling tool, to estimate health-focused impacts.

The purpose of this study was to assess changes in time use patterns for women in rural Kenya who received an intervention wood-fueled cookstove, considering their contributions toward the generation of household income, their household chores and child-rearing responsibilities, and any additional demands on their time and labor in a standard day. The study specifically focused on changes in time…

Berkeley Air was part of a consortium of partners exploring the effective promotion of ethanol-mathanol fuels for use in cooking in Western Africa. In-home field assessments were undertaken in an experimental sample of 30 households for up to 6 months. A combination of sensor-based stove-use measurements, canister refill monitoring, and household surveys were usedto measure uptake, use, and acceptability of…

Berkeley Air conducted specialized training on indoor air quality monitoring, including instruction on principles of study design and data collection related to household energy technologies, use, and emissions with partners and collaborators in Quzhou, China.

Berkeley Air supported an improved cookstove project to conduct a survey to determine rates of stove usage and loss among beneficiaries and to measure the fuel efficiency of each stove vintage using the water boiling test (WBT). Results were used to develop a methodology for forecast greenhouse gas emissions reductions.

This study is a collaboration between SNV and Berkeley Air Monitoring Group to improve access to clean cook stoves for impoverished communities in Cambodia that rely on solid fuels to meet household energy needs. This project also supported the development of a standardized methodology for estimating averted premature death and disability (e.g. averted Disability Adjusted Life Years or ADALYs) from…

Berkeley Air Monitoring Group conducted a rapid baseline assessment to identify barriers to uptake in a country-wide cookstove program in South America. Data collection techniques included qualitative data collection, such as a robust household survey, and quantitative data collection protocols undertaken via the Kitchen Performance Test (KPT).

The primary goal of this project was to evaluate the effects of four behavior change interventions in Kenya, Bangladesh, and Nigeria on the purchase of modern cookstoves and fuels as well as determinants of behaviors, such as knowledge, attitudes, beliefs, and intentions. The interventions used behavior change communications (BCC) that aimed to accelerate clean cooking markets by increasing awareness and…

Berkeley Air Monitoring Group conducted an assessment of potential health impacts of the Envirofit HM-4000 improved cookstove in rural and urban Honduran homes. The team used light-scattering and filter-based household air pollution instruments as well as stove-use monitoring instruments to characterize use and impact of the improved cooking technologies.

Berkeley Air supported the Gaia Association and the Clean Cooking Alliance to assess the impacts of scaling up ethanol and charcoal briquette programs in the UNHCR refugee camps near Assosa in Western Ethiopia. The primary research goals were to measure changes in carbon monoxide and particular matter in homes after the introduction of an ethanol cookstove and to characterize cookstove…

Berkeley Air Monitoring Group trained and led local staff to collect field data to assess effectiveness of several improved stoves in reducing indoor air pollution and personal exposure. The team characterized dimensions of acceptability and sustainability of those improved cooking technologies and their impact on indoor air quality and child health in rural Western Kenya.

Berkeley Air supported Winrock International to prepare and deliver capacity building workshops in Guatemala and Vietnam to train stakeholders in how to design and implement studies to assess cookstove usage patterns and household energy transitions. Displacement of polluting baseline technologies is a critical component of achieving health gains from changes in cooking technologies and fuels.

In this project, Berkeley Air completed an assessment of the post-acquisition services for improved cookstoves (e.g., user maintenance training, replacement parts, and repair services) in four regions of Peru. Methods included the implementation of in-depth household surveys to assess current stove use behavior, maintenance practices, stove durability, access to and use of after-sales services. In-depth surveys were administered to a…

The aim of this project was to a) investigate the black carbon output of two new cookstoves in a field setting in Cambodia during emissions testing conducted by Berkeley Air Monitoring Group and b) present the results of that testing alongside 17 archival cookstove data sets from several locations in Asia and Africa to contribute real-world black and organic carbon…

Berkeley Air is coordinating the air quality and stove usage monitoring effort for the study. The randomized controlled trial is assessing the health effects of LPG stove interventions in 3,200 households in Rwanda, Guatemala, India, and Peru. Overall, the study goal is to provide evidence regarding potential health benefits of reduced HAP exposure, and evidence, including costs and implementation strategies,…

In this project Berkeley Air applied technical field testing methods to explore questions about adoption and fuel efficiency for a group of improved cookstoves in Nepal that were being evaluated as part of the United States Agency for International Development-funded WASHplus project: Assessment of Nepal Consumer Needs, Preferences, and Willingness to Pay for Improved Cookstoves. Berkeley Air initially trained and…

Berkeley Air partnered with colleagues from IIT Delhi, Colorado State University, and the Clean Cooking Alliance (then the Global Alliance for Clean Cookstoves) to conduct a field assessment of 19 different stove and fuel combinations using two new cookstove field assessments and 17 archived cookstove datasets from Cambodia, Vietnam, Uganda, Kenya, and India.

Cross-sectional field study of cookstove usage, fuel consumption, indoor PM2.5 concentrations, and well-being impacts on main cook in rural and urban Honduran homes. Mixed method assessment including sensors, surveys, and semi-structured interviews.a

Berkeley Air conducted an assessment of the impacts of household energy programs on fuel consumption in Benin, Uganda, and India. The team utilized rapid, stove-based in-field LPG evaluation techniques using Kitchen Performance Test protocols and technical monitoring of CO emissions.

The Lao Clean Stove Initiative is part of the East Asia and Pacific Clean Stove Initiative (EAP CSI), a World Bank initiative under the Asia Sustainable and Alternative Energy program (ASTAE) to improve access to clean cooking and heating stoves for poor, primarily rural households that will continue to rely on solid fuels in the future.

With funding from the Shell Foundation, Berkeley Air partnering with household energy researchers at Universidad del Valle de Guatemala to conduct a field evaluation of an improved plancha stove in Honduras.

This study is a collaboration between Colorado State University, Carnegie Mellon University, and Berkeley Air Monitoring Group under the EPA STAR Grant for “Measurements and Modeling for Quantifying Air Quality and Climatic Impacts of Residential Biomass or Coal Combustion for Cooking, Heating, and Lighting”.

Berkeley Air is providing consulting to Portland State University on designing and implementing health-based evaluations of cookstoves as well as on measuring household air pollution and exposure for a pilot on water treatment kits and improved cookstoves.

Berkeley Air has been contracted to provide training and technical support to CIRCODU on field emissions testing as part of The Global Alliance for Clean Cookstove’s initiative for Enhancing Capacity of Regional Testing and Knowledge Centers.

The World Health Organization (WHO) is currently developing the WHO Indoor Air Quality Guidelines for Household Fuel Combustion.

Through funding from the Department of Energy Small Business Innovations Research, Berkeley Air is developing the “Platform for Integrated Cookstove Assessment” (PICA), a system for managing a suite of tools to collect stove performance data.

The purpose of this study was to support the development of a standardized methodology for estimating averted premature death and disability (i.e. averted Disability Adjusted Life Years or aDALYs) from cookstove intervention programs in regions dependent on solid fuels for meeting their household energy needs. It took place in Lao PDR to measure health-related outcomes of improved cookstove dissemination and…

Berkeley Air conducted a qualitative comparison of charcoal and carbonized agricultural waste briquettes to gauge user acceptance by households and food vendors. We utilized qualitative data collection techniques including interviews with closed and open questions, as well as accompanying observations.

Berkeley Air conducted regional workshops and webinars to support stakeholders to assess health cobenefits of cookstove interventions.

Berkeley Air was part of a consortium for the Quality Assurance and Technical Support (QA/TS) pillar of the African Clean Cooking Energy Solutions (ACCES) initiative, which is being implemented by the Africa Energy Group (AFTEG) of the the World Bank. The consortium’s aim is to provide a solid technical foundation on clean cooking technologies that provide real benefits to health…

Berkeley Air led indoor air quality and exposure monitoring part of consortium for assessing feasibility of ethanol-fueled cookstoves. We collected field data on cookstove performance, indoor air quality, and personal exposure to compare ethanol to other local cooking options.

Berkeley Air performed carbon-finance project monitoring for Islan’s cookstove projects in southern Africa.

Berkeley Air and our field team implemented a baseline carbon study for Toyola Energy Limited’s charcoal coalpot stove. The study characterized fuel use patterns across Toyola’s customer base and measured fuel use to compare traditional and improved cooking technologies.

Berkeley Air conducted carbon monitoring for Katene Kadji, a stove manufacturer in Bamako, Mali. Katene Kadji is receiving carbon offsets from the sale of its improved charcoal stoves.

Berkeley Air collected field data and built local capacity for a study titled Evaluation Of Acceptability And Sustainability Of Improved Stoves And Their Impact On Indoor Air Quality And Child Health In Rural Western Kenya, led by investigators from CDC and WHO.

Under the USAID-funded WASHplus project (primarily led by FHI-360 and Winrock International), Berkeley Air conducted two technical sub-studies to compare five improved wood-burning cookstoves to the traditional cookstove.

Berkeley Air Monitoring Group collaborated with Professor Jay Graham from George Washington University to review the usage assessment methods of a Gold Standard carbon-financed water filtration project.

Berkeley Air is part of a research consortium funded by Vodafone Americas Foundation to develop a wireless Stove Use Monitoring System (SUMS).

Berkeley Air Monitoring Group and the United States Environmental Protection Agency in association with Winrock International conducted Kitchen Performance Test (KPT) Workshops and field campaigns in Uganda (Kampala) in July/August 2012, Benin (Cotonou) in July 2013, and India (Gujarat) in August 2013.

Under the Global Alliance for Clean Cookstoves (GACC), Berkeley Air began conducting the Cookstove Emissions Performance Survey: Assessments of Promising Technologies in Priority Countries (CEPS).

This project was funded by USAID under the Translating Research into Action (TRAction) agreement through prime recipient University Research Co., LLC (URC) in order to develop, test, and evaluate behavior change interventions to improve the uptake and correct use of the locally produced Top-Lit Updraft (TLUD) stove in Uganda.

Between July and August 2012, Berkeley Air teamed with its field partner Universidad del Valle (UVG) to support a carbon finance project in Guatemala developed by Stove Capital, The Paradigm Project, and Impact Carbon, and implemented by Socorro Maya, CEMEX, and Ecofiltro.

Berkeley Air carried out a monitoring plan and delivered a technical assessment of how well cookstoves performed in homes for the World Bank Biomass Energy Initiative for Africa (BEIA).

Berkeley Air produced a report summarizing data collected during the baseline monitoring campaign for a gasifier stove project, which is being implemented by Concern Universal in The Gambia with support from the Biomass Energy Initiative for Africa of The World Bank (BEIA).

Berkeley Air was funded by USAID’s WASHplus Program to collaborate with FHI-360 and Winrock International to assess the performance of the Jiko Poa cookstove.

Berkeley Air is partnering with the Shell Foundation to assess the real-word impact of its Breathing Space Programme (BSP), which is promoting a range of improved biomass stoves through its implementing partner Envirofit International.

Berkeley Air authored a peer-reviewed article on modeling indoor air pollution (IAP) from fuel/cookstove combinations using a Monte Carlo single-box model.

Berkeley Air partnered with University of Nairobi professionals in Kenya to conduct field-based assessments on the effect of improved institutional wood cookstoves on fuel consumption in Kenyan schools.

Under the Partnership for Clean Indoor Air, the USEPA sponsored Berkeley Air to conduct KPT trainings and studies for Partner programs in India (First Energy), Nepal (Centre for Rural Technology, Alternative Energy Promotion Center), and Peru (GIZ-EnDev, SENCICO). In-home emissions measurements of greenhouse gases and health-damaging pollutants were also made in Nepal and India.

Berkeley Air partnered with the Shell Foundation to assess the real-word impact of its Breathing Space Programme (BSP), which is promoting a range of improved biomass stoves through its implementing partner Envirofit International.

In collaboration with Columbia University’s Earth Institute, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and the Millennium Promise Organization, Berkeley Air evaluated the impact of a StoveTec rocket wood stove on cookstove emissions compared to the traditional open fire. The study took place in Ruhiira, Uganda, one of the Millennium Village project sites.

Berkeley Air Monitoring Group, in collaboration with Green Futures (Nairobi, Kenya), performed several field-based assessments to determine the effect of improved cookstoves on fuel consumption in households in Nairobi, Meru, and Marsabit in Kenya. Fuel savings were measured for the Envirofit G3300 and Jiko Poa improved wood cookstoves distributed by the Paradigm Project through their local partners, including Food for the Hungry (FHI), Explore Kenya, and The International Small Group and Tree Planting Program (TIST).

Berkeley Air was funded by Agence Française de Développement (AFD) to conduct a site visit and propose the approach for an evaluation of the charcoal-burning New Lao Stove’s impact on health, environmental and economic outcomes. Berkeley Air worked in collaboration Domrei Research and Consulting to provide technical and scientific inputs.

Berkeley Air organized a study to quantify the indoor air pollution impacts (CO, PM2.5) and fuel savings of fuel switching from non-renewable coal to renewable biomass using semi-gasifier stoves in rural households of Shanxi Province, China.The study was being conducted in partnership with Impact Carbon, China Association of Rural Energy Industry (CAREI), the University of California at Berkeley (UCB), and Beijing University of Chemical Technology (BUCT).

The World Bank contracted a consortium of organizations led by Practical Action Consulting to conduct a study in Madagascar to assess the potential economic, environmental, and health benefits of ethanol as a household fuel.

In order to provide a preliminary assessment of the suitability of several mass-produced improved wood stoves for refugee and Internally Displaced Person (IDP) environments and disaster relief situations, USAID funded Berkeley Air to conduct a series of Controlled Cooking Tests as well as a qualitative assessment of the acceptability and usability of the stoves in the Dadaab refugee camps in northeastern Kenya.

Berkeley Air conducted a small study on the Kenyan ceramic jiko charcoal stove in Kenya to assess health and climate impacts.

Berkeley Air conducted baseline monitoring for Zara Solar, L’s Solutions, and SEECO stove manufacturers located in Mwanza, Arusha, and Dar es Salaam in Tanzania.

Berkeley Air provided IAP monitoring equipment, training, and analysis and reporting support to a team of researchers from the University of Mary Washington undertaking a study of an improved cookstove program. The team conducted IAP monitoring in 40 households in a small squatter community on the outskirts of El Progresso, Honduras.

Berkeley Air was contracted by the Partnership for Clean Indoor Air (under the auspices of the US Environmental Protection Agency) to conduct two regional technical capacity building workshops on indoor air pollution and household energy monitoring for members of the Partnership for Clean Indoor Air in Africa and Asia.

IAP and fuel use monitoring activities were undertaken by Ugastove (formerly UCODEA) with training and support from the Berkeley Air team. The study assessed the impacts of Ugastove’s charcoal and rocket wood stoves on IAP levels and fuel use in households in semi-urban Kampala.

Berkeley Air conducted IAP monitoring of the CleanCook ethanol stove in households in Addis Ababa and Bonga and Kebribeyah refugee camps. The reductions in IAP were used to estimate the decrease in mortality risk for targeted populations.

Berkeley Air partnered with the World Health Organization, the Partnership for Clean Indoor Air (under the auspices of the US Environmental Protection Agency), and the Pan American Health Organization to conduct three regional technical capacity building workshops on indoor air pollution and household energy monitoring for WHO national affiliates and other professionals in Africa, Asia, and Latin America.

Berkeley Air partnered with EnterpriseWorks-Ghana to document the impact of the Gyapa wood stove on indoor air quality in households in Accra, Ghana compared to traditional cooking stoves.

Berkeley Air provided equipment, training, fieldwork support, and data processing and analysis to The Nature Conservancy (TNC)/Yunnan Environmental Testing Center to assess indoor air quality improvements from alternative energy installations (biogas digesters and solar water heaters) as well improved biomass stoves.

Berkeley Air researchers conducted a study in Ciudadela de San Martin, Nicaragua, to evaluate the efficacy and effectiveness of two models of the EcoStove (or Ecofogon) — one fully open and one semi-closed — in reducing indoor air pollution (IAP). Using a randomized stove intervention trial, we evaluated the influence of stove type on kitchen air pollution levels and women’s exposures to fine particulate matter.