“This is fantastic,” Frank said. “We’ve been working with target users in China for five years. We’ll use this money to set up our Chinese manufacturing, marketing and distribution base.”
The SolSource is a light, foldable device that harnesses the sun’s energy to cook, generate heat and light, and charge mobile phones. It eliminates indoor air pollution from dung- and wood-burning ovens. SolSource also saves women hours each day by removing the need to collect fuel. The device, to be produced from local materials in its target markets and sold for €10, will be a boon in developing countries.
Runner-up wins €200,000 for charcoal kiln
The jury awarded a €200,000 runner-up prize to Jason Aramburu. The American’s compact high-temperature kiln for African farmers, the Re:char, turns agricultural and animal waste into biochar, a kind of charcoal. The substance can be used as fuel for cooking and heating and to fertilise crops. Buried biochar sequesters carbon that would otherwise turn to CO2 or methane. The Re:char kiln also fights deforestation caused by current charcoal production.
Working for a sustainable world
The Dutch Postcode Lottery received entries for the Green Challenge 2010 from all over the world. Five reached the finals. “It’s very inspiring to see so many talented young entrepreneurs working toward a sustainable world,” said His Royal Highness Prince Friso of Orange-Nassau. “People are increasingly willing to work together to solve the CO2 problem, and I think that’s a wonderful development.”
Ideas become reality
All too often, brilliant green inventions fail to make it out of the starting gate. In 2010, for the fourth year, the Postcode Lottery Green Challenge is enabling such ideas to reach a broad public. The global competition encourages people to think creatively to fight climate change.