[Stoves] Direct solar thermal (Re: David Stein)

[Traveller]

David:

Thank you. This list needs more communications about non-biomass
competition, though for technical details, other listservs are more
appropriate as Ron has pointed out.

I agree in part. For large-scale direct heat and high capacity utilization
- i.e., for "commercial" investors - solar thermal may be a superior
technology if the after-sales service and maintenance is assured (as is the
case with solar water heating for domestic or industrial use).

This is the same argument I made about biomass stoves to Frank yesterday --
commercial markets are a better bet for, ahem, "commercialization".

Bleeding hearts like to spill blood and line pockets by screaming "clean
cookstoves for women's empowerment, livelihoods", blah blah, when all they
mean to do is push LPG and electricity - which I don't mind - and pay
services of lips and tongues to "biomass cookstoves for the poor" - which I
would like to see more serious attention to, just that I can't stand the
WHO blather about IWA and Tiers and mindless epidemiological "studies".

For the same reason, I caution you to not fall in the trap of "resource
conservation", "efficiency", and technology fetishism. At this stage, PV is
undoubtedly the best source for small battery power -- you helped me
confirm that hunch -- and small hydro for local grids provided sufficient
productive use exists (again, you may remember how difficult it was to
satisfy donor requirements and how that small hydro on Santo cost
~$12,000/kW).

I don't mean to slight biomass technologies at all, though I don't at all
like some generalized fetish about "renewable biomass". It is all
"contextual" - energy resource, financial and operational capacity, safety
and versatility, "cleanliness" (not just PM2.5 emission rates blather).
This is why I liked Dr. Anand Karve's "waste-to-charcoal" technology.

All technologies need "local" support for indigenization and growth. Road
warriors of BS (biomass stoves) for the poor have sometimes - just
sometimes - have been serving BS to the poor, cakes of promises to the
donors. (Tested, need I add, by WBT  version this or that.)

I hope you don't mind that I didn't see much of the video you sent the link
to. Anything that starts with "extreme climate change," I can cope with.
The moment I see per capita carbon footprint, I choose to keep my sanity
when others have lost theirs. (Kipling's "If." :-)) BTW, I am thinking of
visiting Mandvi in the next few days.

Nikhil

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(India +91) 909 995 2080


On Sun, Jan 29, 2017 at 8:56 AM, David Stein <ambwat at gmail.com> wrote:

> Hi Ken, Nikhil, and Everyone,
>
> Especially in a developing world context, converting sunlight into
> electricity and then converting the electricity into heat is very
> inefficient.  It would be a far better use of resources to solar cook
> directly. Remember, a conventional solar cooker/oven is essentially a solar
> powered slow cooker.  And with a parabolic dish one can attain temperatures
> sufficient to fry, etc.  And one can use the heat from the sun when the sun
> isn't shining with a PCM (phase change material) devices like the Sun
> Bucket (which I described in a post earlier this month.)
>
> But if you really like converting stuff (and because steam cooking has
> become a topic of conversation on this list)how 'bout converting the heat
> into steam and cooking with the steam as with the Solar Steam Cooker, a
> device developed by Jo Muller of sun2steam in Australia.  It is described
> in a powerpoint presentation (pdf) by Jo Muller here
> http://www.solaripedia.com/files/989
>
> And speaking of the wise use of resources, please remember Bernhard
> Muller's post about fireless cookers.  This may well be the epitome of
> resource conservation from a cooking perspective.
>
> And while I'm at it, it seems to me that biogas is more sensible than
> LPG.  Besides being a clean burning fuel, it could a handy solution to a
> disposal problem as it can be made from organic waste found in virtually
> every household/community on the planet.
>
> Apropos of nothing...for those interested in sustainability you may be
> interested to see a video of a recently completed project at Divyajyoti
> 251116 - YouTube <https://youtu.be/RMrSwzQTtk0>  Nikhil, the project is
> located near Mandvi in Gujarat.
>
> Best,
>
> David
> <https://youtu.be/RMrSwzQTtk0>
>
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