It is not possible for us to cut off our electricity connections, stop using mechanised transport and go live in caves. But we do need to conserve energy and reduce global warming, if not for the planet, then for the generations that are yet to be born. Scientists and the younger generation thus continue their search for energy efficiency and ways to reduce global warming.
A great example of using sustainable green energy was recently demonstrated by a group of students who proposed recovering methane from cattle waste and using it for power generation. The event was the fourth annual Al Gore Sustainable Technology Venture Competition for MBA and engineering students in India, which was organised by The Indian Institute of Foreign Trade (IIFT) and the Foundation for a Sustainable Future (FSF), San Francisco. The idea behind the competition was to bring into focus new sustainable technologies through entrepreneurship, especially amongst the youth.
The winners were the 0% Angles from the Christ University Institute of Management, Bengaluru who won for their plan on the “Recovery of methane from cattle waste...” The runners-up were the Green Geeks from IIFT Delhi, who presented a proposal on “Solar photovoltaic based devices...”
The teams that won cash awards of `1,00,000 and `70,000 respectively will now participate in the March 2011 Sustainable Track Global Competition hosted by the Tepper School, Carnegie Mellon University.
Says IIFT Director K. T. Chacko, “The finalists will now get an opportunity to interact directly with top-tier venture capitalists and entrepreneurs in the US who can help turn their plans into reality.”
One person’s waste is another’s input, maintains 0% Angles, whose project plan is based on the conversion of methane-rich manure into a revenue-generating business model of selling compost and electricity. The purpose is to promote sustainable development and improve the ecosystem by capturing harmful methane, which is 21 times worse than carbon dioxide at global warming.
The team members, Iwin Emmanual Johnson Job, Ranjit Radhakrishnan and Sachin Kondath, believe that the project provides completeness and value addition to the efforts of the food industry and to society in handling an issue like manure. “Our nation’s energy consumption rate is considered to be one of the fastest in the world due to high economic growth rates and a rising population. We feel our business plan will be able to address this energy shortage in an eco-friendly manner,” they say.
The Green Geeks Sunrise Ventures, meanwhile believe that solar power is the way to go, team members Rohit Mittal, Amit Mittal, Sudeep Deb and Anurag Ranjan aim to promote the use of solar power in India. “The project plans to have an assembly line of solar photovoltaic devices in the first phase, for common homes, along with commercial power applications such as home lighting and street lighting systems,” they say.
Essentially, the devices will be kept under sunlight so that the batteries can be charged and used at night. These devices can be used as emergency power devices in semi-urban areas and for normal use in areas without grid connectivity. In the later phases, the project plans to leverage technical advancements and produce electricity at par with thermal power in terms of cost and can be supplied to grids.
Way to go guys!