Abstract

In 2019, the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) launched the “Promotion of Bio-Ethanol as Alternative Clean Fuel for Cooking in the United Republic of Tanzania” project with an aim to promote and distribute 500,000 bioethanol stoves in Dar es Salaam by 2024. The “Proof of Concept” Phase I of the project aimed to sell 110,000 stoves and establish a strong retail market for ethanol fuel. In this study, we conduct an implementation science analysis of Phase I of the project, describing the roll-out of this market-based bioethanol stove program. Leveraging program administrative data, individual interviews and focus-group discussions, we apply the RE-AIM framework to evaluate the successes and limitations of the project. Our findings point to a number of challenges that impeded the establishment of this new market for ethanol cooking technologies and fuels in Dar es Salaam, that were made substantially more difficult by the COVID-19 pandemic. While individual consumers valued the stove, the sale of stoves during Phase I fell far short of targets. Several factors played a role in this underperformance, including the ubiquity and convenience of alternative charcoal fuel, the initial and recurring costs of ethanol stoves and fuel refills, and the limited accessibility of ethanol retail outlets to consumers. Although the initial roll-out of bioethanol stoves in Dar es Salaam underperformed, representatives from UNIDO and stove distributors remain optimistic that the next phase of the project will yield improved results. Our review of this large-scale clean energy project provides key lessons for other similar initiatives, and emphasizes the importance of supportive policies in promoting clean energy.