Energy Efficiency Potential of Brick Production in SAARC Countries

The brick industry, which was until now a technologically stagnant sector, is looking for different technological options that might help meet the emission standards and achieve energy savings in a competitive environment. Technological options available include shifting the industry towards fixed chimneys and the use of new technologies such as Vertical Shaft Brick Kiln (VSBK) technology. While fixed-chimney kilns are more suitable for larger kilns, owners of small capacity kilns are looking for other options, for which VSBK seems to be a suitable option. Spreading the technology to different brick making clusters, however, requires different mechanisms, such as local support for effective interaction with the brick industry.Techno economic viability is one of the crucial factors for a technology to get accepted in a region. The viability depends on the type of technology it is competing with. Since the energy saving potential with VSBK is quite high, in most of the places it works out to be techno economically viable.SARRC Development Fund can also play a vital role in order to provide loans to the un-organized sector of the brick industry.