[Stoves] Rotary project question

[Ronal Larson]

Paul, list;  Andrew;  cc Christa and Crispin:

	1.  We didn’t receive the proposal.  If too large, list manager Andre Heggie might have had to remove it.  Can you work off list with Andrew so we can see he proposal?

	2.    Thank the local Rotary group.

	3.  When I go to the Vron website, I see prices in USh units  - not the expected UGX.  Can someone give me a conversion? 
		 The bid itself might not even be in US$, might be USh units.
 
	4.  Uganda has (March 2023)  a new strict (very welcome) law against using charcoal for cooking.  (Plenty of web info on this for at least the North and East parts of Uganda.)  In any case, the Rotary should be very sure they are not supporting any use of charcoal (except to make it for climate reasons.).  We see reports of 4 or 5 times as many meals using wood rather than charcoal for cooking.

	5.   Kevin McLean of this list is working in Uganda and can supply ideas for making charcoal (and therefore money) while cooking with wood.  Could have carbon credits also involved, as well as saving time of cooks.   Now - outdoor only cooking (no designs yet with chimneys) - but they will be coming.

	6.  Googling Ugandan charcoal industry, the emphasis was on how hard it will be for rural char-makers to now make a living.  There should be ways to prepare optimum sized pieces of wood for Kevin’s cook stoves - which can (soon, not right now) be optimized for very large cook pots - and make biochar for improving local crops..

	7.  The Vron and other stove companies can become part of the biochar marketing program - for the much greater good of both Uganda and the Ithaca Rotary.  (Some the world’s best biochar activity is at Cornell).  Also adding Kathleen Draper outgoing head of IBI - who lives near Ithica

Ron

	ps, there should be some more study of Vron’s use of lava rocks. -  Kevin has successfully used rocks with wood fuel - in 3-stone fires - not charming stoves.

.

> On Nov 27, 2023, at 6:57 AM, Paul Arveson <paularveson at gmail.com> wrote:
> 
> I received this from a friend and would appreciate your comments:
> 
> "I received the email below from a Rotary member in Ithaca New York.  She has put together an $11,620 project (attached) to pay for Vron Engineering of Kampala, Uganda, to build four fuel-efficient stoves at schools in Gulu, Uganda, enhanced with a PV-powered fan to regulate the cooking temperature.  Vron Engineering claims their unit reduces firewood or charcoal use by 80%.   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4SyWCc-EGis.  The Rotary presentation is very professional, but my unscientific mind is skeptical.  I know that clean cookstoves reduce firewood use, but it seems doubtful that adding a PV panel, battery and fan would further reduce fuel use.  And without the PV panel, it seems excessive to spend $11,000 to demonstrate that clean cookstoves (with stovepipes) actually save fuel—something everyone already knows.  Your thoughts?"
> 
> Paul Arveson
> 
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