Final Project
Prompt:
Choose three of these projects that look most interesting to you. Do some background research and thinking:
* learn about the organization
* the local community
* existing solutions to the problem posed
* generate a list of questions you have about the project
Create a Pugh chart comparing the different projects, and provide me in your blog with a ranked list of the projects you would like to work on.
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My three projects:
GrupoFenix in Nicaragua
III) develop new design for stands for solar cookers that is easier to build and more cost efficient. The current design requires a lot of metalworking, and the tools available are insufficient for the work. Research online should allow you to find pictures of the existing grupofenix solar cooker stand. A stand that can be easily rotated to keep the cooker pointed to the sun during the day would be a real improvement.
Estado de Proyecto
Este breve resumen sirve para reclutar nuevos
voluntarios adecuados para el proyecto.
Nombre de
Proyecto: New design for Solar Cooker Stand
Colaboradores de
proyecto: Solar Cooker Construction Team – Cooperative Solar
Women of Totogalpa
Descripción de
proyecto: To come up with a new design that is easier and more
cost effective to build than the current design.
Estado actual: The
current design for the stand is made out of metal. It consists of cutting metal and drilling
holes in the metal (with inadequate tools) so that they can then can then be
put together to form a stand that holds the solar cooker.
Próximos pasos: To
come up with a design that is less labour intensive aesthetically pleasing,
uses materials locally availably and does not cost more than US$50 to build.
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My research:
Here's an article that describes the Women of Totogalpa, who belong to the second poorest municipality (Totogalpa) in the second poorest nation of the Western hemisphere (Nicaragua).[1] Grupo Fenix was founded in 1996 by university students and their professor at the U of Managua, and is focused on researching and delivering sustainable technologies to Nicaragua. So far, they have " install[ed] solar pumps, solar drip irrigation systems, micro-hydroelectric systems, PV battery charging centers and hundreds of photovoltaic systems in rural communities. They also built solar dryers, solar water heating systems, biogas digesters, dozens of solar ovens, hundreds of photovoltaic panels and a hand full of miniature solar cars." [2] Many new organizations also arose because of their efforts. Women of Totogalpa is one of these organizations, that developed after solar cookers were brought to the area.
The Women of Totogalpa built a solar center, a solar restaurant, host visitors from Grupo Fenix and improve their homes through a microloan program, improve solar cookers, are working on many other solar projects, established a scholarship fund for secondary education, have access to electricity (mostly solar). Details about their solar cooker: "The cooker design is based on a model originally promoted by Bill Lankford throughout Central America. It’s a box cooker on a stand with wheels so it can be moved easily. It has one reflector in the front of the cooker for easy accessibility. Throughout the years the women have been adapting the cooker to their specific needs, and constantly improving it and updating the design. The cookers, which have been used to roast coffee and cook rice, vegetables, chicken, cakes and cookies, don’t replace wood 100%, but definitely help reduce the amount of wood used for cooking, and the amount of smoke the women breathe throughout their day." [1]
Image [1]:
[1] http://ases.conference-services.net/resources/252/2859/pdf/SOLAR2012_0230_full%20paper.pdf
[2] http://grupofenix.org/about-us/our-story/
Research and more details on the design can be found here:
[3] http://www.saluddelsol.org/projects/solar-autoclave-progress-report-1/
My major question: This design seems to incorporate wood, not metal, and it has wheels. It could of course be improved, but is the prompt referring to a different stove?
GrupoFenix in Nicaragua
IV) develop a bio-digester that is suitable for household use in the community.
Estado de Proyecto
Este breve resumen sirve para reclutar nuevos
voluntarios adecuados para el proyecto.
Nombre de
Proyecto: Biodiogestor
Colaboradores de
proyecto: Solar Center
Descripción de
proyecto: To design a biodigestor that will work in the reality
of Sabana Grande
Estado actual:
Currently there are two examples of biodigestors in the community of Sabana
Grande. One that is located at the Green
Energy Restaurant “La Casita Solar” which runs on a combination of human waste
and cow manure and another that uses the tunnel design run on cow manure. We would like to come up for a design that
could be used in the households of Sabana Grande. Few people have access to large quantities of
either cow or pig manure. We would like
the design to be an affordable alternative to cooking with firewood. The initial installation of the system should
cost no more than US$200 and should use materials locally available. Fuel to be added to the biodiogester should
be on a par of what is spent weekly in firewood consumption (approximately
US$3) so that this can be a viable alternative.
Próximos pasos: To
determine if this is a viable project.
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My research:
Here is a picture of the biodigestor, located in the Casita Solar, which is the restaurant built by the Women of Totogalpa (see above description). He is loading cow manure into it, and I assume it's the brick on the group. Look, you can see the solar panels in the background! Here is a website, where they also describe the new project of generating portable solar cookers, which also seem to rely on wood. Note that the solar cookers have to be sturdy enough to cook coffee, jams, and other restaurant foods... (pic also comes from the above link)
Biodigestors can be very simple systems; essentially, you put the excrement (animal or human) into a tank, which does not have much airflow and is warm. You'll get methane gas (you can take it out of a pipe for cooking) and fertilizer due to the anaerobic bacteria digestion. If placed underground, it can be used year round, and the more complicated systems store the gas for when it needs to be used. They can be built with less than $100 with a tank and some inner tubes, and are being used increasingly in developing countries. [4]
[4] http://www.slideshare.net/raddieman/an-introduction-to-biodigestors
My questions: this sounds wonderful. I'd like to learn more about how to construct a biodigestor, what kind of scale they can be operated on, what are their drawbacks, and what are the women currently using in their restaurant.
LSI in Indonesia
V) identify appropriate water purification for villagers in West Sumatra, Indonesia, including determining how to reach scale.
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My research:
The LSI Group is a consulting firm based in the US, but focused on facilitating client collaboration, research, and expert advice to companies and organizations in Southeast Asia and Indonesia.[5]
I'm having a very hard time finding specific information on the West Sumatra water purification project. The original document (above) indicates that many people are involved in this project: the LSI Group (playing a coordinating role, I think), Padang universities, US teams, elders from the villages and the government.
West Sumatra has had several lack of potable water problems in the past, due to earthquakes.[6] The government has also made it a goal to increase potable water [7]
The document (above) says that solar stills and solar ultraviolet water distillation are being used on a small scale. [6] mentions the use of electric pumps to provide access to clean water.
[5] http://lsigroup.org/index.php/2012/05/lsigroup/
[6] http://www.irinnews.org/Report/86544/INDONESIA-Diseases-strike-West-Sumatra-quake-survivors
[7] http://www.antarasumbar.com/eng/news/provinsi/d/1/10836/west-sumatra-develop-drinking-water-treatment-systems.html
My questions: where is this information online? How have they achieved all of this collaboration within the community? Why haven't the small-scale solutions been scaled up? Why are so many organizations involved in this, and what areas are they working on?
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Create a Pugh chart comparing the different projects, and provide me in your blog with a ranked list of the projects you would like to work on.
| Solar Biodigestor | Solar Cooker Stand | Water Purification | |||
| My Interest | 1 | 1 | 0 | ||
| Time to make Progress | 1 | 2 | 1 | ||
| Information Available on Community | 1 | 1 | 0 | ||
| Information Available on Solutions | 1 | 1 | 1 | ||
| Engineering focus | 1 | 1 | 1 | ||
| Collaboration available | 1 | 1 | 2 | ||
| Understand Language Spoken | 1 | 1 | 0 | ||
| Women/Men Ratio | 1 | 1 | 0 | ||
| US Involvement | 1 | 1 | 2 | ||
| Previous Progress Made | 1 | 2 | 2 | ||
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Ranked List of Projects:
1. Solar Cooker Stand
2. Solar Biodigestor (pretty equal with the solar cooker stand)
3. Bicycle-Powered Blender
4. LCI Indonesia
5. LED lights
5. Wellesley greenhouses
