Energy Efficient Technolologies

Access to safe, affordable energy for heating, lighting and cooking is an immense challenge in many countries. Options are often expensive, inefficient, and can have negative health and environmental impacts. In response, the Blum Center for Developing Economies initiated an Energy Efficient Technologies (EET) portfolio of initiatives that focuses on enhancing the welfare of the poor in developing regions through the development, testing and diffusion of low-cost, energy related, technologies that meet real needs, emphasize energy efficiency and minimize negative environmental impacts such as CO2 emissions.

Many of the projects in this portfolio are supported through the Rosenfeld Fund for Global Sustainable Development which was established in 2006 in recognition of the efforts of Dr. Arthur H. Rosenfeld. Dr. Rosenfeld is a member of the California Energy Commission and Emeritus Professor of Physics at the University of California, Berkeley. He is a renowned leader in the practical application of energy technologies and policies to solve societal needs in an environmentally-conscious manner.

Among the projects are a set of initiatives that focus on the development, dissemination and adoption of cleaner and more efficient wood burning cook stoves for Africa. These are being designed to replace the highly inefficient traditional "three stone" technique for cooking commonly practiced throughout the continent.

Nearly 1.6 billion people, upwards of 30% of the global population, are without access to electricity. This population relies on expensive and inefficient flame based lighting which has been implicated in respiratory disease, lost wages and deforestation. Through its EET portfolio, the Blum Center is supporting two projects that provide alternative lighting solutions