Powering Agriculture: An Energy Grand Challenge for Development initiative - Winners

Overview

In it's inaugural round, more than 475 organizations from 80 countries applied to the Powering Agriculture Grand Energy Challenge for Development, offering market-based, clean energy innovations for the agricultural sphere in developing countries. Each of the 11 winning organizations received awards of between $800,000 and $1.5 million.

The innovations of the winners can be broadly categorized into applications for processing, irrigation, decentralized power, and cold storage.

Processing Biomass-Powered Thermal Processing of Ethiopian Bamboo. African Bamboo - Ethiopia,2013 African Bamboo is developing an environmentally friendly bamboo thermal modification process, involving the combustion of biomass dust. Read more. Hybrid Vehicles with Exportable Power for Community-Based Agriculture Mechanization. Motivo Enegineering - India 2013 Motivo Engineering is developing hybrid vehicles with exportable power for community-based agriculture mechanization. The system utilizes power from varied energy sources such as solar panels, wind turbines, etc. to enable increased productivity all along the agriculture value chain. Read more. Hydroponic Green Farming Initiative. ECO Consult - Jordan 2013 ECO Consult has developed an integrated model of hydroponic and photovoltaic farming to compete with conventional greenhouse technology and drip irrigation systems. Read more. Irrigation Micro-Solar Utilities for Small-Scale Irrigation in Senegal. The Earth Insitute at Columbia University - USA 2013 Earth Institute’s solution will enable farmers to use a central solar energy unit to power multiple AC pumps for irrigation - taking advantage of the benefits of solar without the high costs associated with DC-powered pumps and battery storage. Read more. Solar-Powered Pumps for Improved Irrigation in Honduras, Nepal, Zambia. iDE International Development Enterprises - USA 2013 iDE’s universal piston pump can compete with fossil fuel pumps both in terms of cost and enhancing agricultural productivity. Read more. Affordable, High-Performance Solar Irrigation for Smallholder Farmers KickStart International - Kenya, 2015 KickStart is developing a clean energy solution in form of a flat pack solar irrigation pump that is easy for farmers to install. Read more

Decentralized Power Biomass Mini-Grids for Palm Oil Producing Communities in Benin and Tanzania. Camco Advisory Services - Tanzania, 2013 Camco's Village Industrial Power (VIP) Plants - mini-grid systems powered through the combustion of biomass waste - generate energy for use in a diverse range of agricultural activities. Read more. Smart Grid on Main Street: Electricity and Value-added Processing for Agricultural Goods in Rural Haiti. EarthSpark International - USA 2013 EarthSpark has developed a solar-diesel hybrid micro-grid system that will increase access to affordable, reliable electricity for value-added agricultural processing. Read more. Cold Storage SunChill: Solar Cooling for Horticultural Preservation in Mozambique. Rebound Technology - USA 2013 SunChill is a novel, off-grid refrigeration solution enabling increased agricultural productivity by: (i) removing field heat from crops immediately following harvest, (ii) providing continued product cooling at local markets/central processing facilities. Read more. Reducing Milk Spoilage through Solar Powered Milk Chilling in Rural India. Promethean Power Systems - USA 2013 Promethean’s refrigeration solution uses a thermal energy battery pack that charges on solar power and/or a few hours of grid electricity. This provides cold storage around the clock despite inconsistent access to electricity. Read more. SunChill: Solar-Powered Refrigeration for Kenyan Dairy Farms. SunDanzer Refrigeration - USA 2013 Recognizing the need for affordable cold-chain technologies, SunDanzer is developing a small-scale portable cooling system tailored for use in the Kenyan dairy market. Read more. Biogas-Powered Evaporative Cooling for Uganda’s Dairy Industry. University of Georgia Research Foundation - USA 2013 UGARF has developed a refrigeration unit powered on biogas - which is extracted from cow manure. The unit regenerates zeolite plates, which retain their capacity to capture water vapor from the evaporative milk chilling process. Read more. Biogas Milk Chilling to Increase Productivity and Incomes of Diary Farmers SIMGas Tanzania, Ltd. - Tanzania 2015 SimGas is developing and will demonstrate off-grid, smallscale biogas-powered milk chillers for smalholder farmers in Kenya, Tanzania and Rwanda. Read more.

Further Information

• Powering Agriculture portal on energypedia
• Website: Powering Agriculture - Winners 2013
• Powering Agriculture Call 2014
  
• Powering Agriculture January 2015 Newsletter