A micro-scale study comparing indoor air quality under two ger household heating conditions was conducted in Ulaanbaatar for two months during the height of the winter season in 2024-25. One household uses an independent renewable energy system based on solar energy, and the other heats their ger using coal briquettes.

Overall, the indoor air quality in the solar-heated household was notably better than in the coal-heated household. The ger heated with renewable energy consistently experienced lower particulate matter concentrations (PM₁, PM_2.5, and PM₁₀) than the ger using a coal stove.

This microstudy underscores a critical finding that a coal-to-solar energy transition can substantially reduce household air pollution, and immediate efforts are necessary to study its impacts on a larger scale and broaden its accessibility accordingly.

The study was conducted as part of The Asia Foundation’s Women’s Climate Resilience project funded by the Australian Government’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT). Breathe Mongolia – Clean Air Coalition conducted the analysis. The Asia Foundation, URECA, and GerHub launched the pilot Coal-to-Solar initiative.

The full report can be accessed here.

Please direct any questions related to the report and its findings to enkhuun@breathemongolia.org.