Push for Cleaner Stoves in Poor Countries

[iamlucky13]

Folks here will probably find this article interesting about efforts to get cleaner burning stoves in use in developing nations.

http://www.usnews.com/news/business...ner-stoves-in-poor-countries-to-cut-pollution

This mirrors similar ongoing efforts that get occasionally reported on to get residents in such areas access to electricity. Without enough demand to support the costs of building and maintaining a regular electric grid, this typically ends up being very small solar setups that can charge a phone or laptop, and run a battery powered light in the evening. In primarily bartering-based economies, it can be extremely difficult to save up enough money to buy an imported product like a solar panel and rechargeable light, but families that can replace a kerosene lamp often save enough to make it worthwhile in less than a year.

No doubt they face a similar challenge for improving their heating and cooking - not just to reduce their fuel costs through more efficient burning, but to improve their health, as well.

 

[dougstove]

Better stoves are a huge time savings for people (usually women) who have to scavenge for sticks and brush.
I suspect some of the hotter sunnier countries will skip right over a traditional electric and telephone grid, and go directly to cell phones and local PV with battery storage.

 

[begreen]

There are several efforts on this front because one stove doesn't work for all countries. There are a variety of cooking methods and cooking utensils that are region or country specific. Many new designs are modified rocket stoves. They're even working on a rocket bread oven. There's a good local effort on this front by the Burn Design Lab.

http://www.burndesignlab.org/

 

[Lake Girl]

And then there are these types of stove that really don't change that much just require pellets and electricity ...
(broken link removed)

 

[Lake Girl]

Ecofiltro is very similar in concept to some of the under the counter filter systems here. Hubby set-up a trial slow-sand system for a local First Nation community. Turned out that it was good to go the trial route as they found a microorganism that clogged the activated carbon filter.