Clean Fan Stove Combustion Technology Development

Nearly three billion people, half the worlds population, still cook on inefficient solid biomass fires, which emit gases and particulates that are both poisonous to humans and damaging to the environment. Four million deaths are attributed to indoor air pollution from biomass cooking fires every year twice as many as die of AIDS. Women and children are disproportionately exposed and carry the additional burden of collecting wood, which is time-consuming, physically taxing and often dangerous. In most areas where biomass cooking is prevalent, electricity is intermittent or not available at all. This problem is being addressed by commercialization of an ultraclean, self-powered, fan assisted biomass cookstove. The stove uses our patented direct conduction thermoelectric system to convert a small portion of energy from the fire to electricity, driving the fan with sufficient surplus to power a USB charging circuit. By combining a low cost design with high performance (90% fewer emissions and 50% less fuel required) and on-demand electricity, the stove can achieve widespread adoption with globally significant health and environmental benefits. In phase I the core technology was taken from proof of concept to a commercial-ready consumer product design. Advanced computer simulation, along with laboratory and field testing, were used to achieve the highest available emissions reductions and fuel efficiency improvements in a user-centered design. Phase II seeks to mature the stove into a commercially viable consumer product. We will conduct a comprehensive design effort focused on high volume manufacturing and cost reduction, supported by durability testing and small field trials. This holistic reengineering effort will minimize raw materials and processing costs, as well as downstream costs along the value chain, without sacrificing performance or compatibility with traditional cooking practices. Commercial Applications and Other Benefits: When commercialized, the stove will dramatically reduce the risk of fatal respiratory disease for rural cooks and their children in the developing world with the added benefit of on- demand electricity access. Additionally, for each stove that is sold and operated, 2.5 tons CO2e will be removed from the atmosphere each year. The cost of this reduction will be $7/ton for the life of the stove, which is 100 times more cost-effective than a Toyota Prius over its life. Our profitwith-purpose organization advances each of the eight UN Millennium Development Goals.