Climate Curve

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Project Summary / Description:

After completing a master course in Sustainable Energy Systems in the Aveiro University of Portugal, in 2014, our founder started a Ph.D. in Energy and Climate Change supported by an Ecuadorian Government scholarship. This Ph.D. program was planned as a collaborative knowledge creation platform to study alternatives for the sustainable use of agro-residues. The outcome was a novel prototype technology, standalone from external energy sources, that is able to produce biochar and heat simultaneously. From a large network of stakeholders around this technology(NGOs, innovation agencies, cooperatives and universities), Alivio emerges as a key-actor for the bottom-up transformation of the agro-industry.

Regions of Operations:

Best Estimate of GHG Avoidance/Reduction of This Project (Tonnes CO2 Equivalent/Year):

Impact on Underrepresented Groups:

It is well known that cooperatives, are particularly friendly for women integration and their professional career development. A proof of that, is that the board of the Alivio cooperative has gender equality (see numeral 6). Alivio-BDA promotes the equitable integration of cooperants with no gender discrimination neither sexual orientation. 
In regard of economic diversity, sequester carbon with outstanding and measurable benefits for farmers' economies as well as powering the farmers cooperatives with renewable energy is remarkable. Likewise, this multifunctional and cooperative waste up-cycling system is of great relevance to industrial and services companies that are actively investing in social responsibility programs in the region, because we can significantly broaden the social, environmental and economic impact of their investments and contributions. More than anything, we believe that the creation of new job opportunities for young people in the rural sector that result from the implementation of our technology is also something to highlight. For the young women, and sons of farmers, besides the alternative of continue being farmers, we offer them the opportunity of joining our team as engineers, technicians, practitioners, bio-technologists, creatives, or marketing specialists and why not? scientists. Currently, we have on-going projects with local universities (e.g. IKIAM, UPS) in which our machines that convert agro-residues into biochar and energy are used as research facilities where students can perform internships, have demo-lectures or develop their thesis. Once a year, together with local universities we organize a summer school on biomass energetic valorization with especial emphasis on encouraging young women to become engineers and researchers of the future. Thereby, our machines and technology also serve as a platform that in the long term would allow the development of innovative services and carbon-based products. This is the kind of progress that we want to bring to the rural sectors of developing countries as Ecuador, and you are kindly invited to support!