About the Project
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The Greener Tea Project is a flagship demonstration programme designed to accelerate the transition to low-carbon energy systems in agro-industrial sectors.
Delivered through the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) Accelerate-to-Demonstrate (A2D) Facility, the project brings together industry, research and social impact partners to develop, deploy and validate scalable energy solutions in real-world environments.
The Challenge
Many agro-industrial sectors rely on carbon-intensive energy sources such as fuelwood and diesel to meet continuous heat and power demands. This creates significant environmental impacts, rising and volatile energy costs and increasing pressure on local natural resources.
At the same time, large volumes of agricultural residues remain underutilised, representing an untapped opportunity for more sustainable energy generation.
The Approach
The Greener Tea Project focuses on deploying decentralised biomass energy systems that utilise locally available agricultural residues to generate reliable heat and power.
By integrating energy generation directly into industrial operations, the project supports a transition away from fossil fuels and unsustainable biomass use, while enabling more efficient and circular resource systems.
Project Objectives
The project aims to demonstrate a scalable and commercially viable model for low-carbon industrial energy by:
- Deploying a 500 kWh biomass gasification system in a live industrial environment
- Reducing emissions through the displacement of diesel and unsustainable fuelwood
- Demonstrating reliable, continuous energy supply for industrial processing
- Establishing a replicable commercial and financing model
- Generating evidence to support wider adoption across agro-industrial sectors
- Creating skilled employment opportunities within local biomass supply chains
Partners
The project is delivered through a multi-partner collaboration:
- Compact Syngas Solutions – Technology provider and system integrator
- Browns Plantations Kenya – Project host and industrial end-user
- International Institute of Tropical Agriculture – Agronomy, biochar application and environmental assessment
- Supivaa Advisory Group – Gender equality, social inclusion (GEDSI) and stakeholder engagement
Why It Matters
As a lighthouse demonstration under the UNIDO A2D Facility, the Greener Tea Project is designed to generate practical evidence and insights that can be replicated across the tea sector and wider agro-industrial applications.
By aligning technology, local resource use and commercial models, the project provides a pathway for scalable, low-carbon industrial development in emerging markets.
Contribution to the Sustainable Development Goals
The Greener Tea Project contributes to key United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), supporting the transition to sustainable, inclusive and resilient industrial systems:
