Technology for Luddites
When you pick your tomatoes, if you want to keep them longer, you have to find a way of reducing the temperature. As availability of electricity at village level can be a problem, ways have to be found to lower the temperature of this fragile crop. Some farmers at Dambatta in Kano State, Nigeria have used local mud bricks to make a very effective cooling chamber. Watch the video at AccessAgriculture. Via Practical Action.
Last week, I spoke at The Conference in Malmö, Sweden, where I saw quite some interesting tech talks. The super-efficient Swedes have already uploaded them, so I present you some of my favorites:
Next week, I’m doing a talk in Paris. Knowing the French a bit, these videos will never be uploaded, so be there.
Joey Hess has designed, built and tested an off-grid, solar powered fridge, with no battery bank. Using an inexpensive chest freezer with a few modifications, the fridge retains cold overnight and through rainy periods. The set-up consists of a standard chest freezer, an added thermal mass, an inverter, and computer control. He writes: [Read more…]
“Thermal insulators are crucial to reduce the high energy demands and greenhouse emissions in the construction sector. However, the fabrication of insulating materials that are cost-effective, fire resistant, and environmental-friendly remains a major challenge. In this work, we present a room-temperature processing route to fabricate porous insulators using foams made from recyclable clays that can be locally resourced at very low costs.”
Read more: Minas, Clara, et al. “Foaming of Recyclable Clays into Energy-Efficient Low-Cost Thermal Insulators.” ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering (2019).
