[Stoves] Ethanol stove project(s) in Africa

[Paul S. Anderson]

Dear Crispin, John D., and all.

Alcohol cookstoves are making advances, with main efforts in Africa.  Readers
should know about Project Gaia in Ethiopia (reports are at the Stoves Internet
site).

There is significant effort in Malawi with UNDP backing.  A consultant will be
hired for a 1 or 2 month study (probably yet this year), including analysis of
ethanol stove types.

I request Crispin and John to contact Corrie Van Staden about this.  John,
please let me know that you have received this message.  I make 
comments within
Crispin's message below:

Quoting Crispin Pemberton-Pigott <crispinpigott at gmail.com>:

> There is a man named Corrie Van Staden who lives in Waterval Boven west of
> Nelspruit who I visited early this month.  He has independently developed a
> small stove very similar in appearance to the Lily Stove, though with a
> novel feature he should first protect (in my view).
>
> When I saw it he already had tooling and at lease some capacity to produce
> an extremely well finished product.  He has been making them for some years
> and I tested an early version made perhaps 3 or 4 years ago (?). He arrived
> at very similar multiple small holes as the correct approach to the burning.
> His lighting method is new.

It is encouraging to me that Corrie has arrived at an approach similar to the
small holes in the Lily (self-pressurizing) ethanol burners.  And I note that
he has been doing alcohol stove several years longer than I have.

But I disagree with Crispin's view that he should seek protection 
(patent). Instead he should seek collaboration and possible business 
relations with
others who could assist him instead of compete with him.  If he can make
quality items, I could be interested in having him work on production aspects
of the Lily stoves, perhaps as a joint venture of sorts, possibly with some
combination of his and my technologies.

All aspects of the Lily burner are either pre-existent in the "beverage can
stoves" of alumimum or, if created by me, are placed into the public 
domain.  I
do not know what he has to protect, nor if it really is protectable, 
especially
if "He has been making them for some years" and therefore has already revealed
his innovations a year or more earlier.  But I will assist him to bring his
product to the market and try to get a fair return to him.  On the other hand,
I will not assist him if, in my opinion, there are restrictions that
meaningfully reduce the prospects of alcohol stoves reaching the 
largest number
of appropriate users.

Crispin and John, please relay this to Corrie and try to get some email 
address
where he can receive messages in his home towh.  Also, please give your
personal impressions of who I am and if he should have any dealings 
with me (or
with others who are working on alcohol stoves).  (Info to all:  I have stayed
numerous nights as the guest in the homes of both Crispin and John, so they
have some knowledge of who I am.)  I would like to see one of Corrie's alcohol
stoves, and I would like him to make one of mine, but with his skills and
materials.  I have been into his town of Waterval Boven once and driven 
past it
on the main road dozens of times.  It would be a nice place to set up a
business!

I make the same offer to Philip Lloyd, and any others.  However, I expect that
Philip has an institutional bureaucracy that limits his ability to bring that
undescribed stove to the public view.

I hope that both Philip and Corrie will have their stoves to Malawi for the
evaluation and testing.  The Lily burners and the Lily stove structures 
will be
available for review there.

Other ethanol stoves that should be there are:
Gel fuel stoves  (perhaps 4 or more different models)
SuperBlu stove
CleanCook stove
Pressurized alcohol stoves, (including the one by Anil R. of Phaltan, India.)
Trangia campstove
"Fondue-type" open alcohol stoves
   and what else??

I cannot find on the Internet the "Terms of Reference" about the consultancy,
perhaps it has been removed because the deadline is past 2 or more 
weeks ago. But for those wanting some info, go to this address, see the 
"SuperBlu"
proposal, and also see the addresses of the UNDP personnel in Malawi.  I will
send a copy of this message to one of them.
http://www.undp.org/partners/business/gsb/malawi.shtml

Paul
-- 
Paul S. Anderson, Ph.D., Geography professor - Emeritus
Telephone:  USA-309-452-7072 (residence and office)
Internet site:  www.ilstu.edu/~psanders
For my gasifier stoves info, go to:
http://bioenergylists.org/contributors#Paul_Anderson

(corrie:  +27-83-310-2995)



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