Energy for All - effective lighting and cooking for low income rural communities

Item one: Cooking Problem statements:

Charcoal based cooking is harmful:

• Gathering fuel too labour/energy inefficient 
• Produces CO2
• Destroys tree cover
• Emits harmful smoke
• Harms respiratory systems and health
• Soot particles from cooking increases global warming

Solution: World Stove

This device can be manufactured by local micro entrepreneurs and is relatively simple to make. It is 93% energy efficient. It burns a wide range of biomass. Straw, husks, twigs etc. It is essentially a biochar device in that gases produced by the pyrolysis is emitted at the top and is used for cooking. The flame acts as an oxygen trap and allows the biomass below to be turned into biochar after it has emitted the combustible gases.

The result of this is amazing!!

• It is carbon negative
• It can provide a household with clean cooking
• It produces biochar which will dramatically improve soil quality and improve yields.

Result: Clean, energy efficient, sustainable environmental micro business. 

Here is a video showing it all:

Item Two: Household and reading lighting Problem Statement:

In a rural setting with no electric power, kerosene is an expensive and dirty way to obtain light. Solar panels are moving in, but still quite expensive and complex with all the supporting paraphernalia like batteries etc.

Solution:

The Nuru Light.

LED lamps are sold by local entrepreneurs who then offer a charging service. The charger is a pedal generator, or potentially photo voltaic, or from the grid if there is power nearby. 20 minutes of pedaling charges the Ni-cad batteries in the lamps that will then last 9-25 hours depending on use intensity. The cost of a recharge is a fraction of the cost of kerosene.

This video should explain it:

Happy reading and viewing!