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Uses for cocoa -

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.

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Waste cocoa -

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.

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Ivory Coast -

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.

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Massive industry -

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.

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Biomass plants -

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.

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The concept -

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.

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Divo -

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.

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Lots of potential -

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.

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Number crunch - Studies show that the plant could reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 4.5 million tonnes compared to existing energy sources.

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Looking forward -

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.

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Ambition -

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%.

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Cost -

The biomass plant at Divo will not come cheap: it is estimated to cost 131 billion West African CFA francs (US$244 million).

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The big picture -

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.

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Added benefit -

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.

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The problem of oversupply -

Things have been tough for cocoa farmers in Ivory Coast thanks to a surplus of cocoa, which has made cultivation much less profitable.

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Alternative crops -

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.

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Farmers -

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.”

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All for the plant -

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.

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Community co-operative -

The Ivorian government also has plans to support struggling cocoa farmers in another way, namely by introducing a type of community co-operative.

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How it works -

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.

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Widespread support -

The Ivorian commitment to adopt cocoa as a renewable energy source has garnered support from parties other than cocoa farmers.

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Powershift Africa -

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.

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Multiple benefits -

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.”

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REA -

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.”

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Africa's success story -

According to Ruto, "Ivory Coast is one of Africa's success stories with 94% of its population already connected to the national grid."

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Looking elsewhere -

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.

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Ghana -

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.

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United Kingdom -

In the UK, a group of researchers at the University of Nottingham has come up with a 5kW generator that runs off cocoa husks.

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The idea -

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.

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In conclusion -

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

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