Na Steven L
Lebone Solutions Inc., ni kampuni inayojihusisha na teknolojia za nishati mbadala ya umeme pamoja na mwanga wa ndani (mfano taa). Madhumuni yetu ni kutoa elimu juu ya nishati ya udongo pamoja na kumaliza tatizo la mwanga hususani katika maeneo yasiyokuwa na umeme barani Afrika. Lebone ilianzishwa na David Sengeh (Sierra Leone), Hugo van Vuuren (South Africa), Alexander Fabry (USA), Aviva Presser Aiden (USA) na Steven Lwendo (Tanzania) wakati wakisoma Chuo Kikuu cha Harvard katika darasa la Idea Translation linalofundishwa na Profesa David Edwards.
Nishati ya Udongo
Hii ni teknolojia yenye miaka ipatayo mia moja sasa na iligunduliwa na mwanabotania Michael Potter huko Durham, Marekani. Katika majaribio yake ya kisayansi, aligundua kuwa bakteria waitwao E.Coli hutengeneza umeme wanapofanya umeng’enyaji. Huu ndio ulikuwa mwanzo wa teknolojia ya nishati ya udongo ijulikanayo kama Microbial Fuel Cell (MFC).
Inavyofanya Kazi
Mfumo wa MFC unafanana sana na betrii (au seli kwa wale wanaokumbuka Sayansi ya darasa la saba). Sehemu zake kuu ni anodi (chanya), kathodi (hasi), udongo na utando mwembamba. Anodi na kathodi hutengenezwa kwa kutumia madini mbalimbali kama vile chuma, shaba, grafaiti n.k. Udongo mara nyingi huwa na bakteria mbalimbali ambao humeng’enya chembechembe za kabohaidreti na katika kufanya hivyo hutoa elektroni. Elektroni hizi hujikusanya katika anodi na kusababisha tofauti ya potenshali kati ya anodi na kathodi. Tofauti hii ndiyo nishati ya umeme iliyopatikana katika mfumo wa MFC.
Tunachofanya
Teknolojia hii kwa miaka mingi imekuwa ikifanyiwa majaribio na kutumika katika maabara kwa kuwa umeme wake ni mdogo sana ukilinganisha na vyanzo vingine mbadala vya nishati ya umeme. Lebone Solutions Inc., tulitambua umuhimu wa teknolojia hii kwa matumizi yasiyohitaji umeme mwingi na hivyo tukaitoa maabara na kuanza kuunda mifumo ya MFC ambayo inaweza kutumika majumbani kwa ajili ya matumizi madogo madogo ya umeme kama vile tochi, redio, kuchaji simu n.k.
Funding/Ufadhili
Ufadhili wa mradi wetu umetegemea zaidi mashindano mbalimbali ambayo tumeshiriki na kushinda. Mashindano hayo ni kama vile Lighting Africa Marketplace Development yaliyoandaliwa na Benki ya Dunia mwaka 2007, IDEAS yaliyoandaliwa na chuo cha MIT na mengineyo.
Challenges/Changamoto
Kama miradi mingine mingi, tumekutana na changamoto mbalimbali za kiteknolojia, kifedha n.k. Mara kadha wa kadha, mifumo yetu ya MFC imepata matatizo mbalimbali katika majaribio lakini changamoto hizi zimekuwa sababu ya kuongeza ufanisi katika utafiti tunaofanya na pia zimechangia katika kuboresha zaidi mifumo hiyo.
Direction/Mwelekeo
Bado malengo yetu yapo pale pale; kuelimisha jamii kuhusiana na nishati ya udongo pamoja na kufumbua tatizo la mwanga wa ndani katika maeneo yasiyokuwa na umeme wa gridi kuu barani Afrika. Tunatarajia kuleta mabadiliko haya kwa kutumia teknolojia hii ya MFC pamoja tarakibu endelevu za kibiashara ambazo zitawezesha bei za mifumo hii kuwa nafuu kwa walengwa.
Kwa taarifa zaidi, waweza kutupata kupitia tovuti ya Lebone.
Steven hails from Tanzania and is a recent graduate of Harvard University. He is the co-founder of Lebone Solutions, Inc.
This is very educative. Asante sana Joji.
Steven, kama unaruhusiwa kutoa taarifa au majibu ya maswali yafuatayo itakuwa sio vibaya, kabla sijaanza kutafuta makala kwenye mtandao (lakini wakati huo huo naelewa mambo ya sheria, patents n.k):
1. Nina uhakika mnajua mnapoelekea; jinsi ya kuwafikia watu zaidi, kuboresha ufanisi n.k. Labda kwenye nadharia, ufanisi kiasi gani unaweza kufikiwa?
2. Umezungumzia kuhusu changamoto kwenye teknolojia. Je, changamoto zipi hasa kwenye teknolojia mnazokumbana nazo? Utengenezaji wa mfumo mzima au sehemu ya mfumo, au labda ni materials mnazotumia? (I am just brainstorming… I guess, the main challenge would be to sort of ‘channel’ the electrons produced after the catalytic reaction.)
3. Vipi kuhusu ushindani kwenye hii teknolojia? Watu wengi wako kwenye hii field?
The guys have good ideas and intentions. However it boils down to how efficient is the conversion ( as steven has asked ). If you ask me, i’d rather buy a LED with a solar rechargeable battery. All in one. portable….etc…
Its also affordable. its not a lot but i’m sure the poor can afford TShs 50,000/=. Here is the math, The lifetime of LED’s is 40,000 hrs. The usage is 12 hrs a day ( night time) hence 40,000hrs /12 hrs/365 days = 9 years. Almost 5Million people have cell phones in Tanzania, i’m sure at least 40% could afford to invest 50,000/= + 9 rechargeable( each costs maybe 10,000/=) batteries for 9 years.
Furthermore, the days of incandescent light bulb are numbered. By the end of this decade everyone will be using LED’s. We might as well embrace it now!
Anyway, nawatakia kila la heri katika juhudi zao!
Shukrani wadau kwa comments pamoja na maswali. Labda nianze moja kwa moja kujaribu kujibu baadhi ya maswali.
Ufanisi wa MFC unategemea vitu vingi mfano aina ya bakteria, fuel, material zinazotumika kama anodi na kathodi n.k. Kinadharia ufanisi unaweza kuzidi hata asilimia hamsini.
Katika utengenezaji wa kitu chochote, changamoto huwa zinajitokeza katika hatua mbalimbali za mchakato mzima. Lengo letu tunapokuwa tunadesign mifumo yetu ni kutengeneza yenye ufanisi mkubwa zaidi, yenye uwezo wa kutoa nishati zaidi n.k. hivyo kila wakati tunabrainstorm namna ya ku-reinvent na ku-reinovate mfumo ili kufikia malengo. kwahiyo changamoto zinatokea katika materials (mfano baadhi ya material zinafanya kazi vizuri sana lakini ni gharama sana au hazipatikani kirahisi au zina sumu (toxic) kwahiyo inabidi kujaribu kubalance hivi vyote.
Ushindani upo lakini sio mkubwa. Wengi wanaofanya research katika field hii wana malengo tofauti kabisa na tuliyonayo sisi. Wengine wanalenga kutumia mifumo ya MFC kutengeneza Hydrogen kwa ufanisi zaidi, wengine kwaajili ya kusafisha maji n.k.
Labda general response kwa Mdau Bata:
Ni kweli kabisa kuwa teknolojia ya sola ni solution muhimu sana hasa kwa watu ambao wanaishi sehemu isiyokuwa na gridi! Kutokana na hesabu ulizokokotoa hapo juu ni kweli in the long run inalipa sana kuwa na sola. Sisi kama Lebone tunasapoti efforts zote za kufumbua hili fumbo la tatizo la nishati mbadala kwa wasiokuwa karibu na gridi.
Mifumo yetu, ambayo itakuwa tayari kwa mauzo hivi karibuni, itakuwa bei nafuu kuliko sola na lifetime yake (kutokana na nadharia mbalimbali) inafika mpaka 60,000hrs. Pia mifumo yetu ya MFC inatumika sambamba na LED. Labda kwa mfano, kuna MFC moja tulitengeneza miaka miwili iliyopita and it has been powering an LED nonstop mpaka sekunde hii, bila kuzimika. Tumekuwa tu tukiinyweshea maji kidogo (kwenye udongo) ili kuhakikisha unyevunyevu unadumu.
Ingawa inaweza kuwa discussion nyingine lakini nimeona umesema days of the bulb (incandescent) are numbered. Ni kweli! Lakini nafikiri replacement yake itakuwa fluorescent bulbs maana they have a higher lighting efficiency (lumen/watt) wakati incandescent na LED kwaajili ya ambient lighting (kumulika chumba kizima) as opposed to directional lighiting (kama tochi au taa ya kusomea) hazitofautiani sana! Pia if LEDs replace incandescent, in 100 years there will be a huge waste management problem!
Here’s a link to mobile phone usage in Tanzania from TCRA (Tanzania Communications Regulatory Authority). It is more than the 5 Million estimate.
http://www.tcra.go.tz/publications/telecom.html
The 40% of the people with mobile phones, who can afford the 50,000 for solar, most likely have access to electricity so it defeats the purpose of the project that these guys are doing.
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Dr. N. M. Mtatifikolo MPH, PhD.
@ Steven L
I do agree with you on some points. The reason I said its LED is because they are way cheapter compared to fluorescent bulbs. The reason being microelectronics. These things are soo cheap.
The missing piece of the puzzle were blue LED’s. Red and Green LED have been existing for sometime. Until this gentleman came into the picture ( http://www.millenniumprize.fi/en/previous-prize-rounds/2006-winner/ ) . He invented the blue LED. Now we can have white LED’s ( Red + Green + Blue ).
All in all, I dont think there is one complete solution to the alternative energy problem. Its a combination of nuclear + solar + biomass + wind..+ MFC ( Microbial Fuel Cell )….
So once again, I hope you guys succeed. I will die a happy man, if at least 50 % -80% of Tanzanias have some sort of clean house lighting.
We’ll see how far we get….!!