&EPA
   www.epa.gov
science  in   ACTION
BUILDING A SCIENTIFIC FOUNDATION FOR SOUND ENVIRONMENTAL DECISIONS
POWERING UP LESOTHO
GROWING AMERICA'S GREEN ECONOMY WITH RESEARCH AND INNOVATION
     2009 EPA P3 Award Winner
     Providing power to developing
     nations is quite a challenge - one
     which an EPA People, Prosperity and
     the Planet (P3) Award student team
     decided to overcome. A team of
     graduate students, including Amy
     Mueller and Matt Orosz at the
     Massachusetts Institute of
     Technology (MIT), are researching
     novel solar thermal micro-generators,
     solar collectors, and "ORC" (Organic
     Rankine Cycle) engines to provide
     renewable energy to Lesotho, a land-
     locked nation in South Africa.

     The thermal micro-generator project
     started in 2004 with the design and
     construction of prototype solar
     collectors that were installed and
     tested in January 2005. Supported
     by the World Bank and
     Development Marketplace,
     subsequent collectors were
     developed in 2006, with a full-size
     version installed at Bethel High
     School, Lesotho, in spring 2007.

     EPA's P3 Award funding (for a total
     of $85,000) and other sources have
     enabled the team to continue
     developing their system. Currently,
     the MIT team is refining their design
     for an ORC engine that will convert
     heat to electricity using solar panels
     to provide the energy to drive the
     engine. When completed, this solar
     thermal micro-generator system will
     be deployed to the Ha Qadi clinic in
     Lesotho to improve medical services
     by providing more than 3 kilowatts
     of electricity and hundreds of gallons
     of hot water daily. The hope is that
     this is the first step in a program that
              will provide renewable energy to
              rural institutions like clinics and
              schools, promote local economies,
              and improve people's quality of life.

              Total EPA Investment
              $85,000

              Return on EPA Investment
              Power and hot water system will be
              installed for a medical clinic in
              Lesotho.
OTHER AWARDS
ASME IShow 2nd Place
National Collegiate Inventors &
Innovators Alliance Award
2009 Fullbright Scholar
MIT 100K 20 Year Award
OTHER LINKS:
EPA Project reports:
http://www.epa.gov/ncer/solarthermal
STG International:
http ://www.stginternational. ore
EPAP3site:
http://www.epa.gov/P3
                                               CONTACT: Cynthia Nolt-Helms, EPAP3
                                               Program Manager, (202) 343-9693
                                               nolt-helms.cvnthia(5)epa.gov
     U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
     Office of Research and Development

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U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Office of Research and Development

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