Fwd: [biochar] Third report from Phnom Penh (both stoves and biochar focus)

[Erich Knight]

Dear SE Char & Soil Age,

Ron Larson one of the cofounders of the yahoo Biochar list has been in Cambodia at the big Global Alliance for Clean Cook stoves (GACC).conference.

At the end of his post, I really liked this work coming out of Lawrence Berkeley laboratory. At the cost Ron mentions, this technology could be a real incentive to get clean stoves adopted across the globe.

Heck.... I'm going to be first in line for my cook to power barbecue flashlight

Point Source Power, CA, Empowering the off-grid world, Solid Oxide Fuel Cell (SOFC), Cook to Power, from Lawrence Berkeley Labs http://www.pointsourcepower.com/

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: <rongre...@comcast.net>
Date: Thu, Mar 21, 2013 at 4:36 AM
Subject: [biochar] Third report from Phnom Penh (both stoves and biochar focus)
To: Discussion of biomass cooking stoves <sto...@lists.bioenergylists.org>
Cc: Ru...@ace.co.ls, so...@emerging.se, dylanm...@gmail.com, adr...@rocketworks.org, Pa...@burndesignlab.com, dean...@gmail.com, Priyadarshini Karve <pka...@arti-india.org>, biochar <bio...@yahoogroups.com>

 

Hi again

   This report being written on the fourth day (Thursday) about the third day (Wednesday).

1.  Eighteen of us who were interested in biochar met from 7 to 8:30.  About half new to biochar and TLUDs.  Anyone interested in these names please send me a note.

2.   Plenary from 8:30 to 10:00 mostly involved government officials - especially interesting was hearing from persons representing Philips and GIZ.

3.  10:30 to  12:00 I missed - my having computer problems.  Anyone else able to report?

4.  12:30 to 2:00  A lunch featuring 4 world famous chefs - seving as "ambassadors" for GACC.   Lead chef was Jose Andres from US - very inspirational speaker.- a good choice  (like Julia Roberts - who has not been present).   This s a good place to say the GACC organizers have done an excellent job with conference details.

5.  2:00 to 3:30   Out of usual 5 choices,  I went to one on the standards being developed through (mainly) ISO and (US) ANSI.  Mostly a description of the process, which is just getting underway.  Lots on this at GACC site..  Briefly also went to session where Priya Karve was speaking on technology selection.  I think all slide presentations will soon be up on GACC site.  Full agenda is there now.

6.  4:00 to 5:30  -  I chose to go to session on forthcoming M&E  (Monitoring and Evaluation).  Good talks by a) Christoph Messiinger of GIZ  (Germain doing best work in the stove area for many years) and Michael Sage from (US) CDC on the very beginning efforts to develop a GACC methodology.  This is to fill out the overall goal of 100 million new improved stoves by 2020.  Kenya's goal is 7 million.

7.  6:30 to 8:00 (and much later)  An awards banquet and poster session.  I was surprised by the large number of posters.  Not sure how - but I think GACC paid for all and they were all easy to read.  Many were stove suppliers.  Priya Karve had one for Samuchit (not ARTI).  The key award was given to Prof.  Kirk Smith.   He noted that he had close call 43 (?) years ago in leaving Phnom Penh as Pol Pot terror was just beginning.  Cambodia now much different. Everyone very friendly.
    I had interesting long discussion with a developer from LBL with a solid oxide fuel cell msutable to be put directly in stove flame  (need 600-900 oC).  Cost expected to be about $15 to $20 for about 5 watts.  Company name Point Source Power  (www.pointsourcepower.com) represented by Pres./CEO Craig Jacobson of Alameda, CA.  On the market soon - saw several products.(cell phone rechargers, flashlights, etc).  The key disposable parts are compressed charcoal  "chips" of about 2 sq in size.

End of day 3 report.

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From: rongre...@comcast.net
To: "Discussion of biomass" <sto...@lists.bioenergylists.org>, "biochar" <bio...@yahoogroups.com>
Cc: Ru...@ace.co.ls, so...@emerging.se, dylanm...@gmail.com, adr...@rocketworks.org, Pa...@burndesignlab.com, dean...@gmail.com, "Priyadarshini Karve" <pka...@arti-india.org>
Sent: Tuesday, March 19, 2013 10:39:12 AM
Subject: [Stoves] Second report from Phnom Penh

Hi again all  (adding Dean Still)

1.  Very good opening plenary with lead off by UC Berkeley Prof Kirk Smith -  the most well known world expert in stove health topics (Household Air Pollution (HAP) now #4 killer - about 4 million per year.  Emphasized difficulty of making changes.  He was followed by U Illinois professor Tami Bond, who was the main speaker at the last Ethos conference and who has also done a lot of stove testing.

2.  I then attended a breakout session chaired by Christa Roth of GIZ.  She also was at last ETHOS meeting and has great summary book on char-making and gasifier stoves.  Great talk by Paul Means of Burn Lab (Seattle) on the (mostly transportation) reasons NOT to work with charcoal made in remote areas.

3.   I missed the next plenary on major country GACC programs, but attended a well-done breakout survey of stove activities in China.
Here Dean Still raved about the capabilities of the Chinese stove community.  In particular the Stove Tec main Chinese partner was there (Mr.  Chen or Shen).  Apparently there is little activity with char-making stoves (I will try to get Dean's view on that).  But at the same Chinese meeting today,   I met several groups that are working in China on char-making stoves. GACC might have a list of Chinese stove manufacturers.
   Talked with several Chinese forestry  experts (and China is doing quite well in  this area)..

4.  Tonight was the main banquet - during most of which we were entertained by 25-30 young Cambodian folk dancers/musicians..

 5.   Afterwards,  I visited the small display area of stoves - maybe 20 in all and maybe 5 were char making.  Gustavo Pena of El Salvador showed me a char-making stove of his own design with lots of "attachments"  (including an oven)  [couldn't find a website].  Also saw several stoves being sold in China by Dylan Maxwell of Novotera and Planetstove. More coming on this.

Again I hope others will jump in.

 
Ron

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From: rongre...@comcast.net
To: "Discussion of biomass" <sto...@lists.bioenergylists.org>, "biochar" <bio...@yahoogroups.com>
Cc: "Priyadarshini Karve" <pka...@arti-india.org>, ",\"paul anderson" <psan...@ilstu.edu>, "Crispin Pemberton-Pigott" <crispi...@gmail.com>, Ru...@ace.co.ls, adr...@rocketworks.org, so...@emerging.se
Sent: Monday, March 18, 2013 8:19:14 AM
Subject: First report from Phnom Penh

Hi to two lists  (with 6 ccs)

  1.  This written at end of "first" day of conference.  Actually the official first GACC day is tomorrow, but today was also the second day of pre-conference activities..  List members active on these two lists, here (and shown on the "to" list), who I hope will add more are Priya Karve, Paul Anderson and Crispin Pemberton-Piggott.  I missed the first day - Sunday - returning from Siem Reap  - home of Angkor Wat.   This is definitely the most impressive world heritage site I have seen or could imagine.  Uniformly impressed by the Cambodian people.

  2.  My overall impression is that very few attendees know much about biochar nor char-making stoves.  Of course most everyone knows something about stoves -  although I would guess that fewer than half have been involved for more than a year or two  Heard tonight that there are 650  registrants.  Great conference facilities;  no conference registration fee and fair number of freebie meals, coffee-break treats etc.

 3.  My first surprise char-making stove encounter was with Sonta Kauti, a Zambian with "Emerging Cooking Solutions"  - whose stove can be seen at www.emerging.se.  I have not yet seen the actual stove, nor yet know its pricing - but plan more talks with Sonta

  4.  Next was a short encounter with Ruben Walker of "African Clean Energy"  (see http://www.ace.co.ls/), now manufacturing in Lesotho the "Philips" fan stove developed by Paul van der Sluis (PvdS).  This has been identified as having the best performance characteristics so far tested.  This was my first chance to hold one - and it looks exceptionally well made.  A surprise was the set of 10 or 12 (?) flat ceramic liner pieces for the interior (maybe 1 cm thick??).  Presumably long life time - being non-metal.   Ruben said one could hold the outside of the stove after an hour of cooking -possible because there are  four concentric metal cylinders (three concentric air gaps).   This stove is not char making - but I remember hearing that PvdS regularly operates it as a charcoal-maker.   Cost in neighborhood of $70.

 5. Later, at this evening's reception,  Mr. Adrian Padt of "Rocket Works" introduced himself  (see http://www.rocketworks.org/  - including photo of Adrian).  This is the stove with the interesting heavy wire mesh exterior that we discussed a few months ago - also can be held.   This also looked exceptionally well made and rugged.  Cost in the neighborhood of $50.   In addition to the version seen at the site, they are now adding a door to better control excess air.

  6. I attended a day-long session put on by the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank.- the emphasis was on country organizations in this region.  Crispin was on what I thought the best panel - on testing, etc. This is to hope that Priya,  Paul, and Crispin (and anyone else from these lists here in Phnom Penh) will also add their early summary thoughts.

Any questions I/we can try to answer?

Ron

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[Adam Sacks]

Hey Erich -

I must say I'm growing rather fond of you technophiliacs in spite of myself.  You're a real kick, very smart, I do learn interesting things from y'all - and maybe someday I'll find a ticket to your planet hiding under some organic grassland fertilizer.  But since I'm currently bound to terra firma antiqua, I simply have to say . . . 

. . . Point Source Power is soooo unsustainable.  How many places on earth can manufacture such a thing (compared to a low-tech cookstove)?  Do we really want to hook more people on something they can't make themselves even when they become dependent on them?  What happens when these little chargers (and so many other things) expire?  And do you really think that the chargeable devices will survive?  One of the unintentionally funniest movie scenes I've seen in a while was in 2012, in which apocalypse was everywhere, tall buildings tumbling, mighty mountains crumbling, skies furiously rumbling - and people were talking to each other on their cell phones!  Rather endearing.  Never liked cell towers much anyway, who needs them.

So please, keep those cookstoves coming, and also keep them in perspective.  What with droughts, hurricanes, floods, etc. cookstoves aren't much use when there ain't nothin' to cook. Rather than get distracted with electronic devices, let's attend to keeping the land intact in ways that are locally accessible to people around the world.  Dare I say let's help with grazing animals, which are already there?

Cheers!

Adam

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From: Erich Knight <erichj...@gmail.com>
To: se-bi...@googlegroups.com; soil...@googlegroups.com
Sent: Friday, March 22, 2013 2:40 AM
Subject: [soil-age] Fwd: [biochar] Third report from Phnom Penh (both stoves and biochar focus)

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