Jointly issued with Kyoto Energy
An award-winning solar cooker which aims to transform the lives of millions of people living on less than a dollar a day is launched in Copenhagen today, ahead of the UN climate summit.
The Kyoto Box boils and bakes by absorbing the sun’s rays, requiring no other fuel.The affordable plastic oven is aimed at the 2.5 billion people who use firewood and other basic fuel to cook (1), and offers major social and environmental benefits.The box, which will be on display at the Copenhagen Climate Exchange, is due to launch in East Africa, Southern Africa, Indonesia and India in January and February 2010. The first batch is currently being manufactured in Malaysia.
The initial cost to users will be 15 euros (£13.50/$22.50), but Kyoto Energy is working to bring this down by claiming carbon credits and by working with microfinance organisations. These measures, with manufacturing enhancements and mass production, are expected to reduce the cost to below five euros (£4.50/$7.50). Earlier this year the Kyoto Box won the FT Climate Change Challenge, a global competition backed by the Financial Times newspaper, sustainable development organisation Forum for the Future, and technology giant HP, which sponsored the $75,000 (£50,000/45,000 euro) prize. Nearly 300 projects from around the world entered the competition, which was designed to identify and publicise innovations which can be developed and scaled up to make the greatest contribution to tackling climate change.
Peter Madden, chief executive of Forum for the Future, said: “The Kyoto Box has the potential to transform millions of lives and is a model of scalable, sustainable innovation. We were impressed by Jon Bohmer’s entrepreneurial verve and his winning combination of a simple, practical product, affordable financial mechanisms, and the use of grassroots organisations to roll it out.” The initial prototype was made of cardboard but the prize money has allowed Kyoto Energy to develop a longer-lasting commercial version made of polypropylene. The material is ultra-light, strong and available at low cost. The box packs flat for easy transportation and two thousand units can fit on a lorry. Assembly is quick and requires no tools.
The Kyoto Box works by letting light pass through a transparent acrylic cover and trapping the heat inside the box containing two black casseroles. An upper lid allows more light to be reflected onto the casseroles in the mornings and evenings when the sun is lower in the sky. Temperatures can reach 110C (230F).
Kyoto Energy is setting up local distributors and resellers from its offices in Kenya,South Africa and Indonesia, as well as in India. It aims to involve grassroots groups,particularly women’s groups, in communicating the benefits to local communities.The company plans to follow the launch in the first four regions with a second stage expanding coverage to countries in West and North Africa, South America and South East Asia.
The Kyoto Box has attracted interest from distributors in more than 30 countries thanks to publicity generated by the FT Climate Change Challenge. It has received worldwide attention including coverage from the BBC, CNN, Al Jazeera and National Geographic.
Ten benefits of using the Kyoto Box
1. It helps reduce indoor smoke pollution. The World Health Organisation estimates that this causes 1.6 million deaths every year. (2)
2. It can boil and purify water. The WHO estimates that about 3.4 million children die each year from diseases spread by unclean drinking water. (3)
3. It reduces injuries caused by carrying heavy firewood long distances.
4. It reduces the need to venture into dangerous and remote areas to find firewood, which can expose people to the risk of rape, attacks from animals,and landmine injuries.
5. It reduces time wasted fetching firewood. This can mean children have more time to attend school.
6. It cooks food slowly, retaining important vitamins.
7. It helps prevent deforestation, loss of topsoil and landslides. (4)
8. It reduces CO2 emissions.
9. It reduces fire hazards.
10. It lowers cost of energy since the sun provides free fuel.
Contacts:
Kyoto Energy Ltd
Jon Bohmer, CEO,
jon@kyoto-energy.com or Mobile Kenya: +254 732 239 948; Mobile Norway: +47
902 595 81
Forum for the Future
David Mason, Head of Communications
d.mason@forumforthefuture.org or +44 20 7324 3631
NOTES FOR EDITORS:
The commercial Kyoto Box will be on display at the Copenhagen Climate Exchange 2009 (http://www.cphco2009.dk/) from Thursday 3rd to Sunday 6th. Jon Bohmer will be present and available for interview at booth #32. Photographs of the Kyoto Box are available on request. Kyoto Energy Ltd. is a Kenyan developer of low-cost solar, bio and water tools that both reduce carbon emissions (“abatement”) and help users adapt to climate change (“adaptation”). Its products are especially relevant to the three billion people at the bottom of the pyramid and it works with grassroots organisations to distribute products and spread of information. Kyoto Energy Ltd. was established in 2006 and has offices in Kenya, South Africa, Indonesia and Norway.
www.kyoto-energy.com
Forum for the Future – the not-for-profit sustainable development organisation – works in partnership with leading businesses and public sector organisations, helping them devise more sustainable strategies and deliver these in the form of new products and services.
www.forumforthefuture.org
The FT Climate Change Challenge aims to seek out and showcase the most exciting innovations - practical ideas which will reduce emissions and make us more resilient to the change ahead, and which can be developed, brought to market and scaled up to achieve maximum impact. Forum for the Future and the Financial Times intend to run the competition again in 2010.
www.forumforthefuture.org/projects/FT-climate-challenge
References
1. Energy: A Necessary Pre-Requisite for Sustainable Development
http://www.un.org/ecosoc/docs/side-events/Energy-Austria.pdf
2. Waterborne diseases:
http://www1.voanews.com/english/news/a-13-2005-03-17-voa34-67381152.html
3. Respiratory illness statistics:
http://www.who.int/heli/risks/indoorair/indoorair/en/
4. Reduction of tropical deforestation by massive use of solar cookers:
http://www.ismea.org/INESDEV/ala.html
