SolSource Tibet
From Solar Cooking
Villagers in Awuju, Zhengga, Quma, Bailing, and Xiakeba Villages wanted more portable solar cookers and a means of heating their homes without having to spend long hours collecting fuel. In response to their request, SolSource Tibet has developed a solar solution which includes both cooking and heating functionalities.
The SolSource SolSolution can be dismantled as quickly as a hiking tent and transported from home to field for the mid-day meal. Its earthquake-safe bamboo frame and legs that can be staked into the ground help it withstand the winds of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. While food is not being cooked, waste energy from the solar cooker is harnessed for household heating by affixing a heat transfer coil to the pot stand.
By addressing the villagers concerns about fuel collection and current solar cooker design, we are reducing the time needed for collecting fuel. This allows for alternative economic activities and increased education for women. In addition, pollution due to fuel combustion will be reduced, improving health and productivity.
The SolSource SolSolution, however, is just the first step towards a sustainable rural energy model for high altitude regions. As biomass fuels are phased out, sanitation from excess animal excrement is a potential health concern. Methane recapture for electricity generation would be an ideal solution, however, low temperatures in high altitude regions currently prevent its widespread use. Biomass gasification is another option but has not previously been explored in Qinghai. Although clean biomass energy is not feasible at this stage in the project, our household solar heating system is built for easy modification in order to maintain optimum temperatures in a household digester and we hope to address this aspect in future project phases.
By supplying low-input renewable energies, we are opening opportunities for the development of rural community economies which we hope to encourage through our discussions and training sessions.
[This text was borrowed from http://www.oneearthdesigns.org/projects/solsource.]
[edit] News and recent developments
- June 2009: Wellesley College senior wins $75,000 environmental prize - Wicked Local Welsley
- May 2009: SolSource 3-in-1: An Alternative Energy Solution - WorldChanging
- October 2008: Five to Watch - The Boston Globe
- July 2008: Utah native utilizing sun's rays in Asia - Deseret News
- June 2008: Wellesley College student helps Tibetans - Wellesley Townsman blog
- June 2008: How MIT made harnessing sun easier in Tibet - Mangalorean
