Solar treatment of biomass for power generation

Start date: 15 June 2016
End date: 14 June 2021
Funder: Royal Society
Primary investigator: Professor Jon Lovett

Africa has a chronic shortage of clean renewable energy. Many areas are not connected to the grid. Renewable energy technologies have the potential for local power generation, but in their current state they do not provide a steady stream of energy and methods of energy storage are too expensive.

This project aims to fill the technology gap between cleaner fuel wood cooking stoves and solar panels by using solar power to treat biomass for energy storage and then use it to generate electricity through fuelling generators with biomass slurries. This electricity will then be integrated into renewable energy grids, complementing other established technologies.