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

Powering Agriculture: An energy great challenge for Development

In its inaugural round, more than 475 organizations from 80 countries applied to the Powering Agriculture: An Energy Grand Challenge for Development initiative, offering market-based, clean energy innovations for the agricultural sphere in developing countries. Each of the winning organizations received awards of between $800,000 and $1.5 million. In total, there are 11 winners from this contest.

Powering African Bamboo, Ethiopia:

Problem

In Ethiopia, there are more than one million hectares of bamboo. Recognized as a fast-growing and largely sustainable raw material, there is an increasing global demand for bamboo as a wood substitute for a variety of construction and furnishing applications. However, bamboo resources are often poorly managed. Most in the industry have limited knowledge of modern value-added processing techniques, which limit their earning potential.

Clean Energy Solution

African Bamboo is developing an environmentally friendly bamboo thermal modification process called ThermoBoo. Through this chemical-free process, decay factors such as rot and insects are virtually eliminated, and the thermally-modified bamboo fiber can be further processed into sturdy panels that can be marketed to a range of domestic and international buyers. The ThermoBoo process involves the combustion of biomass dust—a technological approach that is completely new to Ethiopia. Through the project’s successful implementation of a pilot processing facility, African Bamboo envisions developing a replicable model that can lead to prospective business opportunities throughout the region.

Impact

The success of this project will lead to new opportunities for export, employment, and manufacturing in Ethiopia. In addition to its socio-economic impact, bamboo cultivation of native species plays a significant role in reforestation by stabilizing soil. African Bamboo uses environmental impact assessments to ensure the continued promotion of bamboo’s environmental benefits, and the minimization of the company’s ecological footprint.

Organization

African Bamboo is a forestry, wood, and bio-energy company located in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, among Africa’s largest reserves of bamboo, African Bamboo develops innovative applications for bamboo, particularly for industrial and commercial uses. The company was established in 2012 as a subsidiary of Fortune Enterprise PLC which, since 1961, has been a manufacturer of wood and metal products in Addis Ababa.

Further Links:

To read more in detail, please click:

http://poweringag.org/2013-winners/african-bamboo

Camco Advisory Services, Tanzania

Problem

In rural areas of Benin and Tanzania, access to modern energy services is extremely limited. Without electricity, farming communities are slow in their adoption of modern agriculture practices—resulting in sparse irrigation, lagging food production, and few opportunities for value-added processing and refrigerated storage. Though some communities depend on fossil fuel-based technologies to meet their energy needs, perpetually escalating fuel costs—coupled with adverse environmental impacts—necessitate the exploration of more affordable and sustainable options.

Clean Energy Solution

Village Industrial Power (VIP) Plants are mini-grid systems powered through the combustion of biomass waste produced at local agricultural processing facilities. The VIP Plants generate mechanical/electrical/thermal energy for use in a diverse range of agricultural activities—processing fruit, palm, rice, and cocoa; dairy pasteurization; purifying water; and powering irrigation pumps. The VIP Plants will be assembled/sold in partnership with local manufacturers, and owned/operated by local Energy Service Companies (ESCOs).

Impact

The project will result in the establishment of 50 agro-processing centers and village mini-grids capable of producing between 10 and 50kW of electricity for homes, social services, and businesses. It is anticipated that the VIP Plants will service more than 5,000 agrarian families. This clean energy solution will contribute agricultural development and low-carbon economic growth that improves food security, financial stability, environmental sustainability, and women’s empowerment through new entrepreneurship opportunities.

Organization

Camco Clean Energy is a sustainable energy development company with offices across Africa. It is experienced in providing rural electrification through solar, biomass, small hydro, and biofuel technologies, addressing traditional charcoal production and consumption. Camco will co-implement activities with Gazogen, Inc—a firm that specializes in the development of biomass fueled co-generation plants.

Further Links

To read more in detail, please click:

http://poweringag.org/2013-winners/camco

The Earth Insitute, Columbia University

Problem

In Senegal, farmers currently use two practices for watering crops: the labor intensive method of flood irrigation with wells and buckets, or the cost- and energy-intensive method of using diesel-powered motor pumps. Neither of these options is ideal in a country with immense solar resources that can be harnessed and used to transform irrigation practices in the country and region.

Clean Energy Solution

Earth Institute’s solution will enable a small group of farmers to use a central solar energy unit to power multiple AC pumps for irrigation. The proposed solution takes advantage of the benefits of solar without the high costs associated with DC-powered pumps and battery storage. This power will be accessed by farmers with prepaid electricity cards issued by a micro-utility, and sold through local vendors who will benefit from a small commission. Recognizing that a major obstacle to technology adoption is financing, a tariff-based financing model will allow customers to cover their appliance loans in small payments added into their micro-utility bills.

Impact

This innovation will reduce the price of energy for irrigation significantly while reducing the carbon intensity of irrigation and the labor expended on it. These benefits are particularly powerful when looking at the demographics of Senegal’s agricultural workforce, which is more than 85 percent women.

Organization

The Earth Institute at Columbia University harnesses scientific research, education, and practical solutions to create a more sustainable world through innovation and critical thinking. Earth Institute has partnered with The MDG Center West and Central Africa (WCA)—an organization established to assist WCA countries develop and implement operational strategies aimed at achieving the Millennium Development Goals.

Further Links

To read more in detail, please click:

http://poweringag.org/2013-winners/earth-institute

Earth Spark International

Problem

Seventy-five percent of Haiti’s population lacks access to electricity, and farmers frequently lose value of their crops for want of infrastructure and processing equipment. Where processing facilities do exist, they are typically diesel-powered and expensive to operate. This imposes a severe limitation on farmers’ ability to process agricultural goods, maximize the value of their products, and improve their livelihoods.

Clean Energy Solution

EarthSpark has developed a solar-diesel hybrid micro-grid system that will increase access to affordable, reliable electricity for value-added agricultural processing. By providing technical guidance and facilitating access to financing for local partners, EarthSpark will assist agribusinesses in upgrading to efficient electric mills so the processing of rice, sorghum, coffee, and corn can be modernized. The project first focuses on breadfruit crops that typically rot due to lack of processing. Converting the fruit to flour or chips extends the shelf life by months and significantly increases its value and marketability.

Impact

By reducing agricultural waste and enabling value-added processing, the project will boost agribusiness incomes as well as provide surrounding residents with access to electricity, through a pre-paid smart metering system. The project will demonstrate a sustainable business model for operating a local micro-grid, for agribusiness’ upgrading to efficient electric mills, and for breadfruit processing.

Organization

EarthSpark International is a U.S.-based, nonprofit organization with over four years’ experience working with communities, businesses, and government to bring energy access to Haiti’s unelectrified population. Through its local brand Enéji Pwóp, EarthSpark is an established and recognized brand in Haiti with the track record and infrastructure to scale up its clean energy and micro-grid activities. For this project, EarthSpark has partnered with the Haitian agro-processing company Entreprises La Foi.

Further Links

To read more in detail, please click:

http://poweringag.org/2013-winners/earthspark

International Development Enterprises

Problem

Globally, more than 800 million farmers manually lift and haul water to irrigate their farmland. These farmers can drastically decrease their labor and expand their irrigable area by employing motorized pumps. Currently, the most accessible and affordable pump solutions are four to seven horsepower pumps powered by increasingly expensive fossil fuels. Consequently, many farmers are either unable to provide sufficient irrigation to their crops, and/or must allocate a sufficient portion of their income to environmentally-hazardous fossil fuels.

Clean Energy Solution

iDE’s Clean Irrigation Solution (CIS) can compete with fossil fuel pumps both in terms of cost and enhancing agricultural productivity. CIS’s universal piston pump can run on a variety of power sources—solar steam power, photovoltaic power, and grid-connected alternating current (AC) where available. The system accesses groundwater from deeper depths than conventional pumps, and maintains a slow, steady discharge rate. iDE will work with local businesses to sell and service the CIS.

Impact

iDE’s goal is to compete with fossil fuel-powered pumps currently on the market, and ultimately shift famers’ preference toward clean energy pumping solutions. This consumer shift would have a remarkable environmental and socio-economic effect on agrarian communities. Using the CIS instead of a fossil fuel engine can reduce annual carbon emissions by as much as 250 kilograms per 1,000 irrigated square meters.

Organization

iDE has over 30 years’ experience in developing appropriate agricultural products and engaging the private sector to supply these products to smallholder farmers, improving long-standing agricultural practices. This project is implemented in partnership with PRACTICA Foundation—a Dutch organization that has a focus on the commercial application of technology in the field of water and energy, and Futurepump Ltd.—a UK manufacturer of efficient irrigation pumps.

Further Links

To read more in detail, please click:

http://poweringag.org/2013-winners/ide

Motivo Engineering, India

Problem

Although farm productivity in India has grown steadily over recent decades, crop yields are still just 30–60 percent of the best crop yields in many other countries. Agricultural productivity could be significantly boosted by creating more accessible agricultural machinery, and by providing a mobile energy source that runs on inexpensive renewables to meet multiple farm needs such as harvesting, cold storage, and transportation.

Clean Energy Solution

Motivo is developing a “Swiss-Army Knife” system—the Hybrid Agriculture/Road Vehicles with Electricity Storage and Transformation (HARVEST)—that solves a wide range of agricultural mechanization and power-related problems. HARVEST is a multi-purpose platform that provides power for plowing, well-drilling, cold storage, and transporting crops to market. The system utilizes power from varied energy sources such as solar panels, wind turbines, micro-hydro turbines, or the grid to enable increased productivity all along the agriculture value chain. The entire system is operated at the community level, and facilitated by mobile communication technology for scheduling, billing, and payments.

Impact

HARVEST democratizes opportunity in agriculture by making available to entire communities huge gains in productivity that are enabled through mechanization and reliable power. Varied energy sources will reduce reliance on increasingly-expensive imported diesel, and the system itself will create new skilled jobs for men and women in rural areas in deploying, managing, and maintaining the HARVEST equipment.

Organization

Motivo Engineering specializes in electro-mechanical systems to solve complex challenges across diverse market segments. Motivo’s partner, the KVK Foundation, will draw on their extensive rural development experience in India to introduce new technologies to rural villages, while its partner Feuerlabs will offer their expertise in remote data connectivity to develop a management platform for new technologies.

Further Links

To read more in detail, please click:

http://poweringag.org/2013-winners/motivo