solar

Celebrating Earth Day: NCIIA E-Teams tackle green challenges around the world

Submitted by dave on Wed, 04/22/2009 - 05:37

NCIIA-funded E-Teams, such as Washington State's Malawi Water Cycle team (right), are receiving a lot of media attention. Read more about the green innovations that will help shape our future, on Discovery Channel's Planet Green.

What's in our food? Call the Good Guide (Berkeley University)

Waste not, want not. More about Greensulate (RPI)

Smart windows, SmarterShade (University of Notre Dame)

Pedal power: the Malawi Water Cycle (Washingtion State University)

From fuel to fibers. Coconut shells may make all the difference (Baylor University)

When art and technology collide. 'Ivy' solar panels by SMIT GROW (Pratt Institute)

SocialLite

Cooper Union, 2009 - $43,200

In 2006, Cooper Union began working with rural communities in northern Ghana on a solar lantern project, called SocialLite. Supported in part by a 2008 NCIIA Sustainable Vision grant, they have developed several generations of prototypes, put several dozen lanterns into use, and attracted interest/inquiries from 26 countries. Part of the reason for the success to date is an approach in which the end-user assumes significant responsibility for system implementation and maintenance.

The team is now looking for funding to streamline the SociaLite systems engineering from the assembly stage all the way to long-term maintenance in order to meet demand, continue developing the business model, and establish satellite distribution centers in East and West Africa. The ultimate goal is the creation of an affordable, widely distributed, solar-powered lantern made from local materials and sold by local entrepreneurs.

Low-Cost Solar Water Heater

University of California - Berkeley, 2007 - $38,210

Most solar water heating systems on the market today use advanced materials that are affordable for wealthy clients in developed countries. Our team aims to change that trend by developing a low-cost solar water heater for use in low-income Guatemalan households. The successful implementation of solar water heaters in Guatemala could improve local health and hygiene, promote economic growth, and lessen the impact on the environment at the same time. The team's initial design, which is made to provide hot water for bathing/ showering, consists of three basic components: a heat-collecting surface (absorber), a water bladder, and an insulating material. Two prototypes have been built, and two of the team members have traveled to Guatemala to work with partner NGO Appropriate Infrastructure Development Group (AIDG) in order to gain first-hand information on local conditions and materials. The team is now looking to finalize the design of the heater, explore partnerships with local organizations that can provide financing services that will allow people to buy the heater, conduct surveys of potential users in Guatemala to gauge their energy needs and test the heater in the field. Ultimately, the team will enable local businesses in developing countries to build and sell the heater to local households, creating local job opportunities while realizing
the benefits of sustainable technology enterprises.

Summer 2009 Update: The team developed three solar water heater prototypes and has been partnering with AIDG, another Sustainable Vision grantee that launched a venture called Xela Teco. The Berkeley team hopes to license their solar water heater technology to Xela Teco and other potential partners committed to sustainable development. The team is continuing to work on their prototype, which is being tested on 5 installations (4 houses and the local AIDG intern house). The team has made several trips to Guatemala to install systems, monitor them, and collect user feedback. In addition, the team has made two trips to conduct focus groups and other market analysis. Users demonstrated a willingness to adapt their showering habits to maximize the energy savings of the current solar water heater prototype, which provides ample hot water during the day. However, the team is continuing to refine its design to improve overnight heat storage, a customer preference identified through market analysis. Following the successful field-testing of the team's new prototype, the team will file a patent to support the pursuit of larger market opportunities.

Grantee Highlight: 'A 'clean' lantern and 1.6 billion people to serve

Submitted by dave on Thu, 06/25/2009 - 12:15

Just two years after it received an E-Team grant, Greenlight Planet, Inc is selling its solar-charged, battery-powered LED lantern in India and China. Along the way, the company, which spun out of an E-Team from University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign, has raised more than $500,000 from investors.

Greenlight Planet's market proposition is simple: to sell ultra-affordable solar LED lights for the 1.6 billion people who still don't have electricity. There are important social and environmental benefits: Greenlight Planet's lantern is cleaner, more economical, less dangerous, and less polluting then petroleum lanterns.

Helping small farmers - A sustainable irrigation system in Peru

Submitted by dave on Wed, 05/27/2009 - 09:42

The world's food security relies on finding affordable, improved, and effective means of irrigation for small farmers in developing countries.

An NCIIA Sustainable Vision team from University of Massachusetts-Lowell has developed a low-cost solar/wind drip irrigation system, which is being tested in Peru.

Read more about this drip irrigation system at PlanetGreen.com.

In the news: An affordable solar generator for rural Africa

Submitted by dave on Wed, 04/29/2009 - 09:22

An NCIIA Sustainable Vision team from MIT has developed a solar thermal microgenerator capable of providing both electricity and heat to the rural areas of South Africa. Read more about this low cost, sustainable project at PlanetGreen.com.

Advanced Field and Laboratory Testing for a Sustainable Solar Sanitation System

Georgia Institute of Technology, 2008 - $34,333

The Georgia Tech Research Institute in partnership with the Emory University Center for Global Safe Water have designed, built and tested an innovative solar sanitation system for use in developing countries. Field prototypes of the systems have been constructed in rural areas in Bolivia with a local foundation partner. This system heats waste to temperatures in excess of 50 degrees Celsius (140 F), which destroys disease causing micro-organisms and bacteria. Addition of lime or ash increases pH to promote microbial inactivation. The waste is rendered harmless for use as fertilizer within weeks.

The objectives of this research are to

conduct basic engineering and clinical research to further evaluate the field performance of initial prototype systems (temperature, pH and heating times needed for microbial inactivation)
construct and field test advanced prototypes in Bolivia
establish micro-financing and NGO partners for rapid and scalable use of the technology.

Team working with the solar sanitation system.

Update:

Planet Green.com

Low-Cost Solar/Wind Drip Irrigation for Small Farmers in Developing Countries

University of Massachusetts - Lowell, 2008 - $46,839

The aim of this project is to provide small farmers in developing countries with an affordable solar drip irrigation method that promotes the sustainable use of water and energy. The world’s food security relies on improving irrigation techniques for smallholder agriculture in developing countries. The common irrigation practice is flooding with seasonal water gravity fed systems or diesel/gasoline-powered pumps. Solar pumps are clean, efficient and have lower maintenance. Drip irrigation (DI) is 40% more efficient than furrow. Depending on the crop, DI could allow three harvests per year instead of one in the rainy season, generating enough income to pay for the system.

Solar panel for the irrigation system.

Summer 2009 Update: A prototype system has been installed on a small farm in Peru; results to date are positive.

Planet Green.com

Affordable Solar Thermal Microgenerator Technology for Rural Cogeneration in Southern Africa

Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2008 - $47,031

Worldwide 1.6 billion people lack access to electricity or affordable energy solutions. For those living in rural or mountainous locations Diesel generator sets are polluting and require costly fuel; photovoltaic panels have a high up-front cost and high risk of theft. Locally produced solar thermal technology, by lowering costs relative to these alternatives, can facilitate distributed electricity provision and result in increased economic opportunity, extended waking hours for study, time saved from chores, and improved services from the business, heath and education sectors. This directly translates into an overall reduction in poverty, better living conditions at rural institutions, and improved quality of life, while stimulating the local economy and providing jobs. Indirectly, by generating power renewably, the proposed electrification scheme contributes to lowering the risks related to climate change and decreases brushwood collection and land degradation. By using a technology transfer approach and supporting local business development, the Sustainable Vision grantees aim to provide a sustainable, renewable, and affordable energy option for rural locations. Working in conjunction with local partners, including the Government and National University of Lesotho, entrepreneurs and engineers, the team intends to install a pilot system at a rural health care center to serve 50-80 patients/day, arrange technology transfer and training for Lesotho-based partners, and complete a viable business plan for a Solar ORC manufacturing facility within Lesotho to foster ongoing installations at clinics and schools through market-based mechanisms.