Member Profile: Manna Energy Limited

We are committed to the eradication of poverty through the implementation of sustainable, environmentally sound technologies for clean energy, clean water and self-sustainable economies that foster health, education, and gender equality.

Manna staff have been working in Rwanda since 2003 on appropriate technology and capacity building projects. Since 2007, Manna has been working to install our water treatment systems, biogas generators, and high efficiency cook stoves in rural Rwanda, addressing the most critical public health and environmental challenges. Manna Ltd. will be able to sustain itself through the benefits of the United Nations Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) by generating Carbon Emission Reductions (CERs) from the offset of firewood used to provide basic water and energy needs.

We are the first organization in the world to submit for a United Nations carbon credit program for water treatment, enabling the deployment of community scale water treatment systems for thousands of rural residents. Revenues will be used to operate and maintain the systems, as well as expand this model around the world.

By participating in the UN Millennium Development Goals (MDG) Carbon Facility, the Project is given the opportunity to earn Certified Emission Reductions (CERs), or carbon credits, through the implementation of “green” technology. The Swedish Energy Agency (SEA) has committed to the purchase of Manna’s CERs for the initial phase. Manna Ltd. has letters of investment interest from Acumen Fund, Calvert Foundation and First Light Ventures. Manna Ltd. is advised by the UNDP Millennium Development Goal Carbon Facility, the Rwanda Environmental Management Authority, and has received a grant from the Global Water Challenge.

Revenues are generated for a period of ten years, which gives the project time to build capacity in local communities to transfer knowledge and resources that will ensure even longer term sustainability. Accountability is directly integrated, by ensuring that revenues are tied to successful operation of existing systems. This guarantees that Manna and our partners will be responsible for the success of the project long after installations are complete.

Phase I of the program will deploy systems serving 16,000 people and will qualify under the CDM Small Scale Methodologies. Phase II will continue the deployment under CDM Programmatic Methodologies for the full rollout impacting hundreds of thousands of people. Manna has already installed several of our Phase I water treatment systems in Rwanda, currently treating water for several thousand people.

This project directly addresses several of the United Nations Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), including halve, by 2015, the proportion of the population without sustainable access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation; integrate the principles of sustainable development into country policies and programmes and reverse the loss of environmental resources; reducing child mortality, improving maternal health, combating disease, ensuring environmental sustainability, and developing a global partnership for development.

The project provides a chance for the students of Rwanda to focus on their studies, permitting them to thrive without the frequent illness attributable to the presently available, frequently contaminated water. By providing a reliable source of clean water, improved sanitation and renewable energy, the project will allow for a suppression of the demand for carbon emissions while providing significant public health benefits to the communities.

Manna is also engaging in contracting arrangements with other organizations in Rwanda seeking to make use of our technology and know-how for ‘community’ systems.

In Kenya, Manna Energy is working with Vestergaard Frandsen, an international company specializing in complex emergency response and disease control products.

Vestergaard Frandsen seeks to distribute over one million LifeStraw® Family water treatment units, serving over four million people, in rural Kenya. These units will treat contaminated drinking water, and reduce the demand for conventional water treatment through boiling water with non-renewable biomass. With the assistance of carbon finance, this project can be economically sustainable and provide a significant improvement in public health.

Carbon credits, through the Gold Standard voluntary market, enables the company to generate revenue from the production of clean water.

The generated Voluntary Emission Reductions (VERs or ‘carbon credits’) are issued annually and sold on a competitive market. Sustainable revenues provide education, monitoring, and replacement of the water treatment solution.

This project is expected to be the largest voluntary carbon market project worldwide, and one of the largest non-governmental water treatment programs. Without the benefit of carbon finance, over four million people would not gain access to clean drinking water.

Manna has been contracted to develop this carbon finance program, including collaboration on all elements of project development including the stakeholder consultations, Project Design Document and Gold Standard Passport production, carbon economics modeling, validation management, and carbon reduction purchase agreements.

Manna’s unique expertise leverages the availability of existing economic structures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, enabling the distribution of technologies to help reduce poverty. We deliver functional expertise developed by pioneering carbon reduction efforts with humanitarian goals.

Manna has developed the first United Nations Clean Development Mechanism projects for drinking water treatment in developing countries, and has been contracted to develop the largest voluntary market carbon credit program.

With Manna Energy’s model, economic sustainability and expansion are generated by the continued use of installed projects. There is a direct incentive to ensure project success to fund further development and to provide investment incentive. Funding and public health goals are not disconnected.

Manna is demonstrating that revenue can be generated with returns on investment while ensuring proper operation and maintenance, local employment and capacity building for at least a decade.

Climate change is expected to impact people in developing countries in significant ways, including dramatically changing water and energy availability. Yet, the carbon markets have not yet been well utilized for humanitarian technologies in least developed countries. For example, the United Nations Clean Development Mechanism is a multi-billion dollar a year industry, yet less than 2% of that benefits African nations.

Manna is reversing this trend. We are the first organization in the world to submit a United Nations carbon credit program for water treatment. Since 2007, families in rural Rwanda have had access to clean water from Manna installed and maintained community based water treatment systems.

These on-the-ground experiences have made Manna an effective consulting partner to large water technology companies deploying water solutions to millions of residents in rural Africa. We are also delivering expertise to organizations seeking to use our technology and know-how for community scale appropriate technology systems.

Manna Energy offers consulting expertise to organizations seeking to combine the carbon finance markets with appropriate technology for humanitarian applications. Manna can provide carbon finance and appropriate technology development expertise, and can share project success risk with our clients.