Implementation of Demonstrator in Douala, Cameroon
Project idea
Indoor air pollution is responsible for 3.8 million deaths annually, 40% of which are children below the age of 5. Heart diseases, strokes, chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases, pneumonia and lung cancer are the resulting health issues. Effectively, people poison themselves by utilizing polluting fuels (like wood, charcoal, dung, etc.) that emit fine particles, nitrogen oxides (NOx) and other pollutants. In addition to the concerns with respect to health and well-being, these fuels are typically not renewable and/or contribute to the destruction of the local environment (for example due to deforestation). Three billion people rely on polluting fuels and technologies for cooking, heating and lighting. Our project aims at providing a solution for clean and renewable cooking.
Specifically, we i) developed, installed, and demonstrated a solar hydrogen production system in Douala, Cameroon, and ii) developed and built a hydrogen catalytic cooking stove. The solar hydrogen system consists of a photovoltaic system, batteries and power management system, electrolyzer and hydrogen storage. The catalytic stove consists of a porous burner and emits upon hydrogen combustion only clean water, no toxic particles or other pollutants. The solar hydrogen system produces enough fuel for 3-6 households in Cameroon. The solar hydrogen represents a renewable and clean fuel and its combustion in a dedicated stove is expected to improve the cooking experience, reduce the indoor air pollution and provides a renewable approach to cooking fuel. The oxygen produced during the reaction is an important commodity for the medial industry and its post processing and utilization is currently investigated.
Partner
Team
Funding
The project is financially supported by Tech4Dev and the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation