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Energy Group’s pioneering work Fuel wood, dung and agricultural wastes are the main cooking fuels specially in rural and semi-urban areas. as a result of over-exploitation in the past, the growing demand for these fuels can no longer be met on a sustainable basis from depleted forests, ill-fed and weak animals or infertile land and other biomass resources. Traditional cooking devices are highly inefficient in burning fuel and cause immense pollution. Realising the importance of energy conservation, Development Alternatives initiated a comprehensive R & D programme to design imported cooking devices for application in rural and semi-urban areas. the R&D process was complemented by an intensive and extensive field survey and market research in different regions to study the cooking, eating and fuel consumption patterns, needs and preferences of potential users and socio-economic parameters. The end result was the development of a range of cook stoves for region-specific needs and biomass fuel in use. these designs were extensively field-tested and several of theses have been found highly successful by a large number of users. Around 25,000 TARA-101portable metal stoves have been sold throughout India. In addition, a very efficient community stove (with a heat transfer of more than 45%) has also been marketed. A number of two chimney stoves with fired clay (ceramic) liner components have also been installed in Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh. A very significant aspect of the product development strategy, right from the launching of the design process, was the emphasis on the needs of manufacturing and marketing. This involved giving adequate attention to the entire gamut of the production process: engineering details, manufacturing process, tooling, dies, fixtures, etc. Stress was also laid on experimenting with alternative materials and techniques with a view to using locally available resources, skills and infrastructure. The objective was not to develop designs per se but a whole technology package specifically geared to facilitate the setting up of a network of small local enterprises to manufacture and market woodstoves in a commercially viable manner. In line with the above philosophy, a project for field survey, manufacture and test marketing of cook stoves was initiated in the north zone of Bangladesh in collaboration with the Swiss Development Cooperation (SDC), Dhaka. In the first phase of the project, a detailed survey of the fuel consumption pattern, supply, and demand and marketing segment for stoves was undertaken. In the second phase a small stove manufacturing unit has been set up and portable metal stoves are being test marketed. The preliminary results are encouraging. The ultimate objective is to set up micro-enterprises for the manufacture and marketing of stoves entirely on a commercial basis. In addition to development of cook stoves, the group has undertaken a number of field-based and other consultancy projects. Recently the Energy group has started testing work on the flexible tubular plastic Plug Flow Type Biogas (PFTB) generator which has been developed by TECSOK, Bangalore. The Group has chalked out a comprehensive project on biomass energy technologies for rural area. This project will have three components : survey and technology assessment; design and technology development; production research; and field testing, dissemination and marketing. The range of technologies proposed to be developed under this project are : new improved stoves for cooking; charcoal kilns and briquetted fuels; low-cost briquette machines; producer gas plants; small prime movers; solar photovoltaic and solar thermal devices; more efficient and low-cost biogas plants; and efficient kerosene stoves and lighting devices.
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