Learning lessons from biogas in Saint-Louis of Senegal
Since June 2015, the city of Lille is supporting the city of Saint-Louis of Senegal in setting up a sustainable supply chain for biogas. But the micro-methanisation model developed there is also an interesting alternative in Lille for waste management on a small scale and in urban areas.
Biogas, a gas resulting from the decomposition of organic waste, is an accessible and sustainable source of renewable energy for the population. It is estimated that about 40 000 hectares of forest disappear every year in Senegal and more than 5 400 deaths per year are attributable to the use of energy such as wood or coal.
The first phase of the project made it possible to set up 16 biogas units for households. The goal is to use biogas – produced by mixing cow dung with water – for cooking and to provide families with energy independence. 1m3 of biogas is equivalent to 2kg of coal and 6kg of wood and its use limits the risks of price increase or stock shortage.
Three experimental units have also been set up in conjunction with the Gaston Berger University in Saint-Louis of Senegal, a collective unit in a fish processing plant to support economic activity and limit unsustainable energy consumption, and a unit within a primary school that offers an innovative management model for energy supply to school canteens.
The second phase of the project aims to continue the construction of biogas units in Saint-Louis of Senegal and to promote the emergence of a local economic sector, to combat deforestation and to develop waste. But the project must also allow to develop an expertise on this innovative energy production technology in both Senegal and the Lille metropolis.
This project is supported by the city of Lille, the European Metropolis of Lille, the city of Saint-Louis and the NGO Le Partenariat, with the support of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Development and university partners.
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