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The idea is that cocoa waste will be burnt in order to turn a turbine and generate electricity. It should be noted that a number of successful pilot projects precede the Divo facility.
There are a huge number of cocoa plants in the Ivory Coast: more than 40% of the world’s cocoa beans hail from there, and cocoa production employs more than six million people.
The biomass plant at Divo will be West Africa’s largest, and developers hope it will be ready by early 2023. There are high hopes for its efficiency and ability to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Currently, 70% of the country’s energy comes from natural gas. By 2033, the country hopes to use renewable energy sources for 42% of its energy and cut greenhouse gas emissions by 28%.
And that’s a good thing, too: Ivory Coast currently uses mostly fossil fuels for power, but it has ambitious plans to reduce greenhouse gas emissions over the years to come.
And the Divo plant will not be alone: there are plans to build a further nine plants across the country, in places where the raw cocoa materials are in ready supply.
It is also hoped that cocoa biomass plants will serve the secondary purpose of supporting Ivorian cocoa farmers, many of whom have struggled over recent years.
Things have been tough for cocoa farmers in Ivory Coast thanks to a surplus of cocoa, which has made cultivation much less profitable.
Indeed, many farmers have abandoned their cocoa farms altogether over the last few years in favor of more profitable crops, such as rubber or banana.
One of those farmers is Fraciah, a grandmother who manages a 14-acre cocoa farm in Divo. She told the BBC: "I grow cocoa and it has educated my children but the returns have been minimal.”
For a long time, much of the cocoa plant has gone to waste, but soon cocoa waste will be used for biomass plants. The first plant will be in Divo, a town that produces a lot of Ivorian cocoa.
Fraciah is supportive of the new cocoa biomass plant; she explained to the BBC that it would supplement her income and help her send her grandchildren to school.
Mohammad Adow, who is the founder of the Nairobi-based think tank Powershift Africa, has praised the Ivorian initiative, emphasizing that it has come at the right time.
The Ivorian government also has plans to support struggling cocoa farmers in another way, namely by introducing a type of community co-operative.
The farmers who are involved will be able to save money and apply for loans, as well as receive dividends so that they can support their families and businesses.
The Ivorian commitment to adopt cocoa as a renewable energy source has garnered support from parties other than cocoa farmers.
Another advocate of the project is Esther Ruto, who is general manager of Kenya’s Rural Electrification Authority (REA). She has described it as a “good move.”
According to Ruto, "Ivory Coast is one of Africa's success stories with 94% of its population already connected to the national grid."
It is hoped that by burning cocoa waste it will be possible to get power to more rural areas, where in some cases only 50% of people have access to electricity.
In the UK, a group of researchers at the University of Nottingham has come up with a 5kW generator that runs off cocoa husks.
We have spoken a lot about the Ivory Coast, but there are other countries in the world who are heading in the same direction when it comes to using cocoa as a fuel.
Adow said: “Successful utilization of these cocoa pods will not only ensure universal access to electricity, but also add value to the cocoa production value chain, in addition to other economic benefits.”
There are even some countries that are further ahead in the adoption of cocoa biomass plants. Ghana, for example, already uses cocoa husks to generate power on a micro-scale.
Supporting farmers while at the same time reducing greenhouse gas emissions, cocoa as a fuel seems like the ideal solution. Time will tell whether it really takes off.
Sources: (BBC) (Power Technology)
See also: The dairy industry and climate change
According to Yapi Ogou, who is managing director of one of the Ivorian companies involved in building the plant, it could single-handedly provide electricity for 1.7 million people.
For most people, the first thing that springs to mind when someone says "cocoa" is, of course, chocolate. Few would argue that the delicious snack is not a worthy use of the cocoa plant.
However, that is all about to change in the Ivory Coast, the world’s largest cocoa producer. The West African country has found a way to use cocoa waste in its transition to renewable energy.
Given that chocolate is made from the bean of the cocoa plant, the rest of the plant (the bean shells, pod husks, etc.) has historically gone pretty much unnoticed.
The biomass plant at Divo will not come cheap: it is estimated to cost 131 billion West African CFA francs (US$244 million).
Traditionally, the more favored part of the cocoa plant is the bean. After all, that's the part that gives us the sweet deliciousness that is chocolate. But in some parts of the world, focus is turning to other parts of the cocoa plant that have the potential to enrich our lives in another way: by providing energy to our homes.
Check out this gallery to learn how cocoa could be used to power where we live.
Cocoa's potential beyond chocolate
The less flavorful, yet equally useful, application of cocoa
LIFESTYLE Energy
Traditionally, the more favored part of the cocoa plant is the bean. After all, that's the part that gives us the sweet deliciousness that is chocolate. But in some parts of the world, focus is turning to other parts of the cocoa plant that have the potential to enrich our lives in another way: by providing energy to our homes.
Check out this gallery to learn how cocoa could be used to power where we live.