On Calle de Monte Verde in Nicaragua, poor farmers with no daily earning, depend directly on agriculture for their livelihoods and survival. Water is raised from wells by hand-cranked levers which lift small buckets from the depths to the surface where they are detached from the well rope and dumped into a larger bucket located on carts drawn by oxen. This project will seek to improve the efficiency of this highly labor-intensive process by testing solar or treadle pump technologies in this setting. If successful, this project will enable farmers to more efficiently manage their crops and their time. It would thus allow farmers to diversify crops and increase yields sufficiently to allow them to enter the market and generate income.
Today’s hybrid and plug-in electric automobiles are able to recover some of the energy normally lost to friction during braking. Even in today’s cutting-edge vehicles, however, a large amount of kinetic energy is still lost to braking during the typical stop-and-go urban commute. INSTAR is a system designed to greatly improve on existing technologies in order to recover the maximum amount of kinetic energy normally lost during braking. The energy recovered will be converted into usable electric energy. This recovered energy can then be used to power the vehicle, thereby increasing the travel-range and battery life of plug-in and hybrid vehicles. By increasing the efficiency and functionality of hybrid and electric vehicles in this way, the INSTAR system could make these vehicles significantly more attractive to consumers and increase adoption rates.
Like rural areas in many developing countries, India’s rural regions lack reliable electricity. Energy needs are often met by kerosene or highly inefficient power generators. This project will address this problem by developing micro-grids that will bring reliable, efficient and inexpensive electricity to regions of rural India. The project combines local, small-scale energy production facilities with innovative means of billing, storing and distributing energy to create a new “microgrid” system optimal for rural areas. The new microgrids will provide reliable, energy-efficient and inexpensive electricity to areas that were previously dependent on highly inefficient and expensive forms of energy.
Historically, marine management policies have been unable to ensure sustainable, economically viable fishing practices. These policies have been ineffective in regulating technological advancements in fishing, and flawed policies have contributed towards hastening the use of harmful technologies. As a result, several once-major fishing stocks are overfished or collapsed, resulting in both severe environmental degradation and large economic losses. This paper proposes a series of initiatives to encourage the fishing industry to adopt sustainable fishing practices and provide support to maintain healthy, profitable commercial fish populations.(Note: This project originally won in the Big Ideas “Science, Technology, and Engineering Policy” category.)
Hundreds of U.S. companies have a stake in continued use of coal-based electricity. Unfortunately, burning coal is a major source of greenhouse gas emissions which in turn cause climate change. This paper examines potential solutions to this problem and suggests policies to commercialize an emerging technology called carbon capture and storage. (Note: This project originally won in the Big Ideas “Science, Technology, and Engineering Policy” category.)
