Solar powered heat engine to power tools including electricity generator for rural villages. 

Partners: J & K Barnard (Farms) Limited (Lead), Grassroots Uganda Ltd

Country: Uganda

Technology: Next generation solar technologies and business models

Stage: Early

Stage: 9

Rural smallholders in developing countries with no mains electricity need an energy source or motor which has a low-cost purchase price and is simple to maintain with village resources.

This project will have a multi-disciplinary team to design innovative solar energy capture to run a small electrical generator, 1Kw, or other equipment. This will have a very low carbon footprint from manufacture to daily use and be sustainable. This will involve next generation solar power. Attention will be given to designs that are low cost, easy to manufacture, require simple production equipment and can be adapted for production in countries with limited engineering manufacturing capability.

The principal output of this feasibility study will be a framework for a project to produce a minimum viable product that can provide torque to generate electricity.