Dear Ron
In answer to your question "Anyone else like it? ", I am enormously impressed
with Paul's slide show presentation!
It shows clearly the importance and advantages of "using wastes at their
highest value level". His TLUD stove system fits in very well with his local
Vietnam circumstances, where rice growing waste (straw and hulls) is in
abundance. However, the important concepts should be adaptable to many other
"agricultural situations" throughout the World.
I think this is an excellent practical example of a way to implement the
concepts of "Think Globally and Act Locally", and "Small is Beautiful." It
outlines very low cost ways where a small farmer can utilize his wastes
advantageously, to increase his net annual income.
These are excellent presentations, that should be read by anyone interested in
Sustainability, and waste resource utilization.
Best wishes,
Kevin
----- Original Message -----
From: Ron
To: Discussion of biomass cooking stoves ; Paul Olivier
Sent: Tuesday, April 23, 2013 3:15 AM
Subject: Re: [Stoves] Solar City business model
Stove list: (cc Paul)
This is to strongly recommend Paul's PPt, identified below. Don't think
you can get through it in a few minutes, as it is 175 slides long. But if you
want a very full lesson on why biochar makes sense, the last half (?) is better
than any other biochar PPt I recall seeing, save some from Johannes Lehmann,
maybe.
I fault it only in minor ways. He fails to mention that his stove will
undoubtedly rank very good in improving air quality. He fails to mention that
his fan power level control will save cooks a lot of time (which can translate
into money). He fails to mention enough on the horrors of charcoal making for
charcoal-using stoves.
The first part is not on either stoves nor biochar. But still
fascinating and most educational.
I expect to similarly laud his paper tomorrow. Now it is too late to
have done more than skim it.
Paul - thank you for an amazing effort. I next send this to the biochar list
Anyone else like it?
Ron
On Apr 22, 2013, at 5:23 PM, Paul Olivier <[email protected]> wrote:
Crispin,
You write:
I am not so sure how the broad translation of agriwastes into fuel is going
to be viewed by the people who promote agriculture. The biodynamic and
permaculture people would not like to see all the mulch and humus removed to
be turned into cooked food - or char for that matter. I think they tend to
see biogas as a way forward because they retain access to the minerals in a
digestible form, as it were.
Please take a look at this paper:
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/22013094/Paper/Summaries/Food%20Crisis.pdf
The same is summarized in a PowerPoint presentation:
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/22013094/Paper/Presentations/Sustainable%20Agriculture.ppsx
In this paper I distinguish four type of waste in descending order of
nutrient content.The first two types of waste are putrescent, the last two
types of waste are non-putrescent. The main idea here is that each type of
waste should be transformed and returned to agriculture by means of the most
appropriate technology. This gives the highest economic return. Type 1 waste
should not be processed as if it were type 2 waste, type 2 waste should not be
processed as if it were type 3 or 4 waste, and type 3 waste should not be
processed as if it were type 4 waste.
In applying these technologies, we produce vermi-compost, mesophilic
compost, thermophilic compost and biochar. These different soil enhancers do
not compete with one another. Instead they all complement one another in a
powerful way. I was compelled to write this paper because I so often saw (and
still see) funding agencies lining behind a particular technology in a very
narrow manner. Look, for example, at all of the money poured into biogas
plants. But does this make sense? I question the wisdom of making fuel out of
pig waste (type 2 waste), since there are other technologies that allow us to
derive far more income out of this type of waste. If its fuel we need, let us
turn to type 4 waste.
Many thanks.
Paul
On Mon, Apr 22, 2013 at 8:24 PM, Crispin Pemberton-Pigott
<[email protected]> wrote:
Dear Andrew P
Good points. The stove community projects are not threatened by failure of
the PV subsidies but they are certainly affected by the (looming?)
collapse
of the carbon trading market. A number of castles have been built in the
air. Recent emphasis on the health aspects of smoke inhalation will
probably
provide a more grounded source of development revenue. The recent doubling
of the estimated number of people who die from cooking fire smoke will
probably enhance interest.
The programmatic problem I have encountered with this is that cleaning up
indoor air can be done without improving the stoves at all - just piping
it
outside where 'dilution is the solution to pollution', to quote and EBRD
consultant. Inventors want to create stoves, not just clean up the air.
The fuel saving aspect of stoves will always remain a strong contender in
the funding cycle because it is an easy sell. Certainly easier than
resource
creation and management. Better to whine over how little there is than to
create more.
I am not so sure how the broad translation of agriwastes into fuel is
going
to be viewed by the people who promote agriculture. The biodynamic and
permaculture people would not like to see all the mulch and humus removed
to
be turned into cooked food - or char for that matter. I think they tend to
see biogas as a way forward because they retain access to the minerals in
a
digestible form, as it were.
Economically viable solutions are going to dominate, no matter what the
flavor of the month.
Regards
Crispin
++++++++
Paul,
Solar City does not exactly provide solar installation for free. They
provide an option in which they will install a complete system with no
money
down, but it involves a long-term contract (purchase option after 5
years) in which the customer buys the electricity generated by the panels
at
a set price (I am guessing that option requires the existence, beyond
federal subsidies, of state, local and utility subsidies for solar panel
installation and solar generated electricity).
I am not poo-pooing the idea. It is a sound model. It would be sounder
if
it did not rely on subsidies.
Where there is a strong market for rice husk char and ash, I agree that
such
a model could be used to market char-producing stoves to provide energy to
the customer in exchange for char and ash, and a fee, if needed. I truly
hope you can convince someone to invest.
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--
Paul A. Olivier PhD
26/5 Phu Dong Thien Vuong
Dalat
Vietnam
Louisiana telephone: 1-337-447-4124 (rings Vietnam)
Mobile: 090-694-1573 (in Vietnam)
Skype address: Xpolivier
http://www.esrla.com/
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