<html>
<head>
<meta content="text/html; charset=windows-1252"
http-equiv="Content-Type">
</head>
<body bgcolor="#FFFFFF" text="#000000">
Julien,<br>
<br>
I raise only one variation about what you wrote:<br>
<blockquote type="cite">We can't use more wood or bamboo, because it
doesn't exist. </blockquote>
My comment was ONLY in regard to getting wood for the 100 initial
stoves so that there is not a shutdown of biochar production for 6
months, and a stopping of use of the stoves. I am not advocating
deforestation. Just the obtaining of wood fuel for the initial
stoves. <br>
<br>
Analogous example: Researchers on pot-trials of biochar (or many
agricultural small scale experiments) in cold-winter climates
continue their plant growing in heated greenhouses. Shutting down
for 6 months is not a good use of human and infrastructure
resources. And your very few Akha TLUD stoves need research about
longevity and many other issues, as well as the need for more
biochar. Using those few stoves all year round would seem
justified.<br>
<br>
Paul<br>
<pre class="moz-signature" cols="72">Doc / Dr TLUD / Prof. Paul S. Anderson, PhD
Email: <a class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated" href="mailto:psanders@ilstu.edu">psanders@ilstu.edu</a>
Skype: paultlud Phone: +1-309-452-7072
Website: <a class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated" href="http://www.drtlud.com">www.drtlud.com</a></pre>
<div class="moz-cite-prefix">On 3/8/2017 10:41 AM, Julien Winter
wrote:<br>
</div>
<blockquote
cite="mid:CALv4xTzb4CyksCX5atNsTcTV9=6xvsfhW2bxBgFWOrMZ35z1Rg@mail.gmail.com"
type="cite">
<meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html;
charset=windows-1252">
<div dir="ltr">
<div>
<div>
<div>
<div>
<div>
<div>
<div>
<div>
<div>
<div>Thanks to Paul for the suggestions;<br>
<br>
</div>
They are wise.<br>
<br>
</div>
We can't use more wood or bamboo, because it
doesn't exist. The last number I saw was that
the forest cover in Bangladesh is 15-17%. Most
of the forest is not were the people live, but
in the coastal areas, especially the protected <span
class="gmail-st">Sunderbans, and the
Chittagong Hill Tracts in the S.E. The
Government of Bangladesh has been putting a
big effort into reforestation for decades, but
fights an uphill battle with the demand for
wood for building and fuel. Interestingly,
the most productive forests are in peoples
homesteads and farms.<br>
<br>
</span></div>
<span class="gmail-st">We are exploring the
possibility of commercial pelleted fuel.
Although commercial fuels like LPG are
expensive, nobody has made biochar from LPG.
The benefits from biochar will make a big
difference to the affordability of commercial
fuel pellets. Where pellets are economically
viable, they will make a huge difference to
women's lives, by removing most of the drudgery
from cooking, and exposure to smoke. Women will
have much more free time. LPG is not
Planet-friendly. <br>
<br>
</span></div>
<span class="gmail-st">Thanks for the suggestion for
donations. That would be helpful, if an account
could be set up in Bangladesh to cover the cost of
experimental materials. At the initial stages of
the Akha TLUD Biochar Project, funding for
research on TLUD and fuels would be very helpful.
The project has funding for an exploratory
deployment of Akha stoves, but there is no funding
for exploratory research into other options. What
might work well is to identify an innovation that
should be investigated, then see if some donations
can be found to buy the necessary materials. <br>
<br>
</span></div>
<span class="gmail-st">Does anyone have experience
with bitcoins? There is a problem of getting money
into the hands of people in distant countries
without banks and governments taking a cut. Usually
it is about 20% of the transferred cash. The last
time I transferred $CND to Taka, the money had to be
converted to $USD first, and was handled by three
different banks, all taking a slice of the pie. In
addition, authorities in Bangladesh had to be
convinced that the money was not being used to fund
terrorism (a handful of religious extremists are
causing some misery for a few atheists bloggers and
secular academics).<br>
<br>
</span></div>
<div><span class="gmail-st">The Akha TLUD - Biochar
Project has three years funding from
ICCO-Netherlands given to the Christian Commission
for Development in Bangladesh (Dhaka) for
exploratory deployment of the Akha and biochar.
This may get as many as 200 Akhas into homes. We
are gathering data on user acceptance of the
technologies. This data will be crucial evidence to
justify the expansion of the project. If we observe
and document an enthusiastic reception of biochar,
we can make a case for carbon-credit financing.
Also, we must not forget that the scientists and
policy makers in the Government of Bangladesh must
be convinced that TLUDs and biochar are beneficial
and not harmful.<br>
</span></div>
<div><span class="gmail-st"><br>
</span></div>
<span class="gmail-st">At the moment, I am writing
applications to the Canadian Government to fund
research. In the past I have been unsuccessful, but
in the last year, we have changed from a Conservative
to a Liberal government, and the attitude towards
international development is now more favorable. We
are also in a stronger position now that the Akha is
beginning to demonstrate its viability.<br>
<br>
</span></div>
<span class="gmail-st">If I am successful at getting
funding from the Canadian Government, then private
donations would be better sent to other needy cookstove
development programs. I have argued before on "Stoves"
that there should be an investment in building up the
capability of regional stove developers around the
World. Give them training on the fundamentals of
combustion, some basic measurement tools, and funding
for supplies. Adapting technology to local conditions
will help to maintain regional self-sufficiency in the
basic human activity of cooking. That would be a really
good investment.<br>
<br>
</span></div>
<div><span class="gmail-st">Where we could use volunteer
effort for stove programs in setting-up and managing
crowd-source funding.<br>
</span></div>
<div><span class="gmail-st"><br>
</span></div>
<span class="gmail-st">Thanks again for all the suggestions.<br>
<br>
========<br>
</span></div>
<div><span class="gmail-st">Just a side note: Listening to
CBC Radio this morning, I heard that local involvement vs.
corporate imposition of technology makes a big difference
to public acceptance. Windmills to generate electricity
are unpopular in Ontario where they are owned by large
companies, but in Nova Scotia, windmills are popular
because the local population has the opportunity to become
share-holders. More information can be found hear:<br>
<a moz-do-not-send="true"
href="http://www.cbc.ca/news/nova-scotia-ontario-wind-farms-1.4010653">http://www.cbc.ca/news/nova-scotia-ontario-wind-farms-1.4010653</a><br>
<a moz-do-not-send="true"
href="http://www.ssc.uwo.ca/news/2017/public_opinion_wind_energy_project.html">http://www.ssc.uwo.ca/news/2017/public_opinion_wind_energy_project.html</a><br>
<br>
</span></div>
<div><span class="gmail-st">In my neighborhood we have a
community solar power corporation that installs solar
panels on local buildings.<br>
</span></div>
<div><span class="gmail-st"><br>
The Akha TLUD - Biochar Project has similarities, in
trying to develop a stove that maximizes local
livelihoods. The closer one can get to having a stove made
by a householder the better; then it would become a new
'traditional stove'. However, a village stove-maker
would be good enough.<br>
<br>
<br>
</span></div>
<span class="gmail-st">Cheers,<br>
</span></div>
<span class="gmail-st">Julien.<br>
</span>
<div>
<div>
<div>
<div><span class="gmail-st"><br>
<br>
</span>
<div>
<div>
<div>
<div>
<div>
<div>
<div>-- <br>
<div class="gmail_signature">
<div dir="ltr">
<div>
<div dir="ltr">
<div>
<div dir="ltr">Julien Winter<br>
Cobourg, ON, CANADA<br>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<br>
<fieldset class="mimeAttachmentHeader"></fieldset>
<br>
<pre wrap="">_______________________________________________
Stoves mailing list
to Send a Message to the list, use the email address
<a class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated" href="mailto:stoves@lists.bioenergylists.org">stoves@lists.bioenergylists.org</a>
to UNSUBSCRIBE or Change your List Settings use the web page
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://lists.bioenergylists.org/mailman/listinfo/stoves_lists.bioenergylists.org">http://lists.bioenergylists.org/mailman/listinfo/stoves_lists.bioenergylists.org</a>
for more Biomass Cooking Stoves, News and Information see our web site:
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://stoves.bioenergylists.org/">http://stoves.bioenergylists.org/</a>
</pre>
</blockquote>
<br>
</body>
</html>