The Eternal StoveProject

Trinity College Dublin

April 20th , 2010

Dr. Tony Robinson

Ms. Chloe Kinsella

Mr. Wayne O’Connell

Agenda

• History – The Eternal Candle

• Energy in Africa

• Technical Approach

• Field Trial / Experiments

• Questions

Millennium Development Goals

Energy services are essential to both social and economic development

A much wider and greater access to energy services is critical in achieving all

of the MDGs.

The UN Millennium Project

“The only way to alleviate poverty is to raise the real income

of the poor”

Strong Correlation between GDP and Energy Use/Access

Moving from The Bottom Of Pyramid

Developing World Challenges

1.6 billion people lack access to electricity

2-3 bn billion people depend on biomass (wood, dung) for cooking and heating

– 1.6 billion live on less than $1/day

– 2.6 billion live on less than $2/day

Lighting Africa, 2008

ReStor Energy will produce and consult in the deployment of technology

to the BoP that reduce users existing energy costs to reduce poverty

This equates to

500m Kerosene lamps

700m Biomass fires

500m mobile phones where owners have no grid electricity

• No ideal off-grid lighting solution exists – Light Intensity

– Frequent trips / cost of fuel

– Required Battery Replacement

– Lamp Breakage

• Initial Project Goal to design a task lamp– operating costs towards zero,

– advanced patent protectable technology

– for development

• Patent (Pending) Filed – TR02-163-01 “Eternal Candle”

Lighting at the BoP

The Eternal Candle

“Field” Evaluation Feb 2010 Malawi – Kamphuka

Cara Malawi, ReStor Hestian Innovation

Tony Robinson, Wayne O’Connell, Chloe Kinsella, Conor Fox (Hestian), Christina Lynam (Cara Malawi)

• Characterization of baseline needs

– Intra-household and community decision-making

• Quality and performance

• Synergisms with cell-phone charging

• Feedback on Business model

If you could change the price of one thing in the

developing world to alleviate poverty by far you

would pick energy …

Bill Gates , 2010

Average Price of US electricty

($/kW 1990 prices)

0.00

0.50

1.00

1.50

2.00

2.50

3.00

1900

1910

1920

1930

1940

1950

1960

1970

1980

1990

2000

Africa Energy

$/kWhr

Negative Impact of Biomass• GHG / Climate Change Pollution

– 2bn T /Yr of CO2 emission

– Black Soot • 6 week lifetime in atmosphere

• Health – 1.6m per year respiratory/eye infection

– 2m per year die from fire related accidents

• Burden on collecting wood on women and children

• Deforestation

• $19bn investment in clean burning stove technology would reap $91bn return

Biomass Use for Heat

Reality of Biomass

Stove Technology

Electricity Generation Options• Centralized Electricity Generation

– Expensive

– Access

– Fuel used is important

• Internal combustion engine with bio-gasifier– Expensive, high maintenance requirement

• Bio-Fuel fed Stirling engine– Expensive, maintenance may be an issue

• Thermo-acoustic engine– SCORE – UK

– Expensive, moderate efficiency, technical risk

• Photo Voltaic– Scale/Cost

• Thermoelectric Modules – Cost not bad, Low Technical Risk.

– Efficiencies low but acceptable, High Heat Input

– Potential for significant performance output in 3-5 year window

Thermoelectric Effect

Heat Generates electricity

Light Generates electricity

Potential for 10x improvement

50-60% 2x-3x 100%

Proofs of Concept

Simulated fire

Thermoelectricgenerator

Fan

LED lights

Battery

Charger

• Cost– Low cost is the main driver

– Target = € 100 - € 50 per household to capital city

– 600 million units at €30 ASP

– 60 million units at €90 ASP

• Weight– In many areas hand carrying

is the only option

– Target = 2-5 kg

• Power output– Electrical = 40 – 100W (from

battery)

• Fuel– Consumption < 500g/hr

– Material initially wood. Looking at Dung and other bio-mass

Score UK

Performance Challenges to Product

Core Team • Dr Tony Robinson

– Principle Investigator

– Lecturer in Thermodynamics

• Mr. Wayne O’Connell– Technology

– Commercialization Markets

• Ms. Chloe Kinsella– TCD Engineering Graduate

– M.Sc. Student

• Cara Malawi– NGO, works with Irish Aid in field

Malawi• Malawi is a small, landlocked country of 15m in SE Africa, about 1 ½

times the size of Ireland. – Malawi is one of the poorest nations in the world

– Rural population: 81% of total population (2008)

– Life Expectancy = 51 (ranked 210 in world), CIA

– The majority of the population’s food is based on maize.

– The economy is heavily dependent on a small group of crops; notably maize, tea, tobacco and sugar. Agriculture accounts for 1/3 of GDP and 90% of exports

– Plagued by famine owing to food shortages, flooding and drought, as well as HIV/AIDS.

• Irish embassy opened in 2007 to coordinate aid– Irish Aid’s cooperation with Malawi began in 2002, after a famine

programme.

• Cara Malawi– Grassroots NGO Formed by Christina Lynham in 2006 after volunteer

work

– Works at grass roots , animal husbandry, village governance, electrification water projects.

– Excellent relationships with Local Authorities

Conditions on the Ground

Poor Infrastructure outside City Inside of Dwelling

Lighting in Lilongwe

Project partner outline• Mr. Richie O’Shea

– Young Scientist of the Year

– Rocket Stove Evaluation and Improvement

• Dr. Alister Munthali– Deputy Director Centre Social Research, U Malawi, Zomba

– Experiment Design / User Adaption / On the ground efficiency measurement

• Dr. Aonghus McNobali– Lecturer in Civil Engineering (TCD)

– Indoor and Outdoor Air Quality

• Dr. Cian O Mathuna– Head of MicroSystems Centre, Tyndall

– Sensor / Signal Conditioning Technology

• Mr. Gerard Campeau (Thermal Electronics Corp)

– High Volume TEG Manufacturability

In Summary

• Micro-Generation from Biomass is a viable strategy for delivery of low power DC energy for LED’s, Phones, and Radios

Integrating Thermoelectric Generation with Stoves impacts 4 main problems facing the developed world today

We wish to position college to play a leading academic social and economic role in this development activity.

Questions

– Wayne O'Connell

• oconnew@tcd.ie

• 086 406 9902

– Dr Tony Robinson

• arobins1@tcd.ie

http://www.tcd.ie/mecheng/contact/