BioLite

BioLite, a startup based in New York City founded in 2006, develops and manufactures off-grid energy products for both the outdoor recreational industry and emerging markets. The company is most well known for their flagship wood-burning stoves that use thermoelectric technology to produce usable electricity from the heat of their fires.

"biolite" redirects here. For other uses, see biolite (disambiguation).
BioLite
HeadquartersNew York City

History

Jonathan Cedar and Alexander Drummond together developed the BioLite stove technology. They met while working at Smart Design, a design consultancy in New York City.[1] The two inventors became interested in portable stoves that combined local sources of wood with battery-powered fans. The idea evolved to a low-emissions stove that used a thermoelectric generator called the BioLite CampStove, which was officially launched in 2012. BioLite is headquartered in DUMBO, Brooklyn with an additional office in Nairobi, Kenya.

In 2009, the founders learned that their technology could have impact on off-grid developing communities and bifurcated the business to incorporate both outdoor recreational and emerging markets.[2][3] Using a modified rocket stove and working with the Aprovecho Research Center, Cedar developed a larger model cook stove named the HomeStove, designed to replace harmful indoor cooking fires.

2009
  • January – CampStove prototype wins top prize at ETHOS Combustion Conference
  • September – Cedar leaves Smart Design to work on BioLite full-time
  • November – HomeStove H1 prototype is created

2010
  • March – The addition of a USB Port is considered for the future of BioLite
  • April – With the help of the Aprovecho Research Center, thermoelectric rocket stove emissions were measured

2011
  • February – BioLite settles down in Brooklyn, NY and hires its first staff members
  • May – In an effort to understand user needs, BioLite field tests the H2 HomeStove prototype in India
  • September – After five rounds of prototypes, the CampStove design is approved
  • November – Field tests are run in Ghana and Uganda with the H3 prototype

2012
  • May – The first CampStove orders ship
  • April – USPTO grants BioLite patents for core technology
  • November – HomeStove H4 prototype approved for pilot testing[4]

2013
  • February – BioLite launches Portable Grill Accessory
  • Spring – BioLite debuts at REI stores nationwide
  • September – BioLite launches KettlePot Accessory

2014
  • June – BioLite launches BaseCamp Stove campaign and raises $1MM on Kickstarter
  • August – BioLite launches KettleCharge

2015
  • February – BioLite launches the NanoGrid, expanding the organization's energy offering into the Lighting category
  • November – BioLite announces that it has erased its carbon history and commits to ongoing carbon neutrality[5]

2016
  • February – BioLite launches Energy Ecosystem: PowerLight Mini, SolarPanel 5 Series, and CookStove
  • September - BioLite launches the BaseLantern on Kickstarter.

2017

  • February - BioLite expands product offering with a second generation of the CampStove, CampStove 2 featuring more power and an onboard battery. The company also launches a 10-watt solar panel and three sizes of battery banks they call Charge 10, Charge 20, Charge 40.
  • September - BioLite launches a smokeless wood-burning fire pit on Kickstarter.
  • November - BioLite launches SolarHome 620, a solar-powered lighting, charging and radio system for off-grid homes around the world. This product is sold throughout the outdoor recreation community and to families living off the grid in Kenya.

2018

  • February - BioLite launches a small solar-powered lantern called SunLight.
  • September - BioLite releases new HeadLamp on Kickstarter

2019

  • BioLite launches a rechargeable, 330-lumen headlamp
  • BioLite and Peak Design co-found a nonprofit called Climate Neutral , "an independent non-profit organization working to accelerate the transition to a low-carbon world by putting a price on carbon emissions."

BioLite products

HomeStove

The HomeStove's design converts the heat of fire into usable electricity to power a fan, which then reduces fuel needs by 50%, toxic smoke by about 95%, and carbon monoxide emissions by 91%. Additionally, the amount of CO2 saved per year by one stove equals the amount that's saved by buying a hybrid car.[6] The remaining off-grid energy that does not power the fan can then be used to charge portable devices through a USB port, such as cell phones and LED lights.[7][8] Moreover, the effects of deforestation are lessened and time is regained by women and children who spend hours gathering wood for open fires. Manufacturing costs are low and this efficient wood-burning stove pays for itself within six to seven months.[9]

The BioLite HomeStove in use

BioLite focuses on sustainable market development by using a market-based approach, as opposed to donations or a “one for one” model. This allows for local entrepreneurship and stimulates local markets.[10] The HomeStove is currently in large-scale pilot testing across India, Ghana, and Uganda. Recently, thanks to a Spark Fund grant, BioLite will be kicking off a project in Uganda with partners at Impact Carbon.[11] The Spark Fund grant is part of the Global Alliance for Clean Cookstoves, an organization that provides clean cook stoves to people in areas with high poverty rates. Its mission is to reduce the number of deaths caused by open cooking fires each year (approximately four million), and is endorsed by people such as Julia Roberts and Hillary Clinton (who referred to BioLite in her announcement of the UN Clean Cookstove Alliance).[4][12][13]

CampStove
The CampStove shown connected to a smartphone (left) and being demonstrated outdoors (right)

The CampStove was launched in 2012 and is predominantly used by outdoor enthusiasts. Renewable biomass fuels – such as sticks, pinecones, and brush – power the stove, replacing resources like charcoal or petroleum. The CampStove can boil water in five minutes.[14] Smaller than the HomeStove, the CampStove is 8.25” tall and weighs 33 oz, but like the larger model, excess heat is converted into energy. BioLite sells stoves in over seventy countries. The CampStove has also been used as an emergency preparedness tool. In the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, tables were set up in New York City, offering those without power hot drinks and a chance to charge their cell phones.[15]

temperatures can reach between 1200 and 1600 °F in the biolite.[16] In 2017, BioLite launched a second generation of the CampStove (CampStove 2) featuring 50% more power and an onboard 2600 mAh battery.

Portable stoves and grills

The BioLite Portable Grill, released in 2013, is designed to work with the CampStove. Features include a fuel intake lid for fire maintenance, compact design with foldable legs and a travel cover for transportation. The travel cover can additionally function as a serving dish or cutting board. The steel grill grate has three temperature zones for searing, cooking, and toasting. The grill weighs in at just under 2 lbs (0.9 kg).[17] The BaseCamp is much like the HomeStove, but is available for purchase to regular consumers. The BaseCamp was another Kickstarter success[18] They also have a PizzaDome accessory that converts the BaseCamp into a pizza oven. In 2017, BioLite launched a smokeless wood-burning fire pit called the FirePit on Kickstarter. The FirePit uses airflow to help the fire burn more efficiently to the point that there is virtually no smoke.

Lighting products

BioLite also has a set of rechargeable lights: BaseLantern XL, PowerLight, PowerLight Mini and a HeadLamp. All of the lanterns incorporate rechargeable Lithium-ion batteries with LED floodlights, can be recharged with a USB connection, and some can supply power to external devices via USB. The BaseLantern was a Kickstarter product[19] and is referred to as a "SmartLight" due to Smartphone integration (via Bluetooth connectivity) and programability. BioLite's SolarHome 620 brings has an easy-to-install solar panel that charges up a central control box which powers 3 hanging lights, USB charge-out, and an MP3/FM radio system. The SolarHome 620 is currently in use in over 40,000 homes across western Kenya as well as vans, cabins, and sheds throughout the United States and beyond.

Charging products

BioLite also sells products that can generate and store electricity for USB devices. They make the SolarPanel 5, the SolarPanel 5+, and the Charge 10, Charge 20, and Charge 40. The SolarPanels are both solar panels with a "kickstand", with the "+" model including an internal lithium-ion battery for energy storage. The Charge products are re-chargeable battery banks to store power for USB devices.

Business model

BioLite employs a model of parallel innovation, long-term for-profit social enterprise supported by more immediate market capital.[20] According to BioLite, they used their “near-term CampStove market as a way to generate revenue that essentially allowed [them] to become [their] own investors in the HomeStove vision.”[21] That involves a market-based approach to some of the issues in emerging communities. The recreational and emergency preparedness markets of the CampStove and other products keep the HomeStove and SolarHome 620 low-cost for off-grid communities in sub-Saharan Africa. BioLite uses local distribution networks and alters their stove design to support the variety of cultural cooking preferences.

Awards
  • Red Dot Design Award (2016)
  • ISPO BrandNew Accessories Award (2016)[22]
  • Fast Company Innovation By Design - Social Good (2014)[23]
  • Public Interest Design Global 100 (2013) [24]
  • Social Impact Professional Winner (Core77 Design Awards, 2013)[21]
  • Best Adventure Gear (Travel + Leisure Design Awards, 2013)[25]
  • Autodesk’s Inventor of the Month (February, 2013)[26]
  • National Geographic’s Gear of the Year (2012)[27]
  • Innovation by Design Award (Fast Company, 2012) – Finalist[28]
  • Best of What's New (Popular Science, 2012) – Grand Award Winner[14]
  • Nokia Health Award (2012)[9]
  • OWPG Derryck Draper Award (2012)[8]
  • EPIC Gear Junkie Award (2012)[29]
  • Play It Forward Project (Citizen Group, 2011)[30]
  • INDEX Awards (2011) - Finalist[31]
  • America's Most Promising Social Entrepreneurs (Businessweek, 2011) – Top 25[32]
  • St. Andrews Prize for the Environment (2011)[33]
  • Dasra Social Impact Program (2010)[7]
  • Sustainable Brands Innovation Open (2010)[30]
  • PopTech Social Innovation Fellowship (2010) – Finalist
  • Vodafone Wireless Innovation Prize (2010) – Partnership with UC Berkeley[34]
  • Top Prize for Lowest Emissions Stove (ETHOS Stove Conference, 2009)

See also

References
  1. "Inventions: The BioLite Stove". Dartmouth Engineer. Summer 2012. Archived from the original on 2013-03-03. Retrieved 2013-06-17.
  2. "Jonathan Cedar and Alex Drummond's innovation: the BioLite stove". The Guardian. 11 September 2012.
  3. "Cooking Up a Cleaner, Safer Open-Fire Stove". The New York Times. 20 May 2012.
  4. "Energy Everywhere". BioLite.
  5. "BioLite Has Gone Completely Carbon Neutral". Observer. Retrieved 2016-02-17.
  6. "BioLite Home Stove". Design To Improve Life. Archived from the original on 2012-06-30. Retrieved 2013-06-17.
  7. "MICROGRID ENERGY RULES THE SUSTAINABLE BRANDS INNOVATION OPEN". Fast Company. 11 June 2010.
  8. "OWPG Derryck Draper Award goes to BioLite Campstove". OWPG. 18 October 2012.
  9. "The Tech Awards to Honor Global Innovators Who Use Technology to Benefit Humanity". The Tech Museum of Innovation. 26 September 2012. Archived from the original on 2013-06-05. Retrieved 2013-06-17.
  10. "Our Impact". Impact Carbon.
  11. "COOKSTOVE ENTERPRISES SPLIT $2 MILLION FUND TO SPARK GLOBAL CLEAN COOKING MARKET". Global Alliance for Clean Cookstoves. 29 May 2013.
  12. "NEW STUDY ESTIMATES 4 MILLION DEATHS FROM HOUSEHOLD COOKING SMOKE EACH YEAR". Gloval Alliance for Clean Cookstoves. 13 December 2012.
  13. "Alliance Mission and Goals". Global Alliance for Clean Cookstoves.
  14. "Grand Award Winner: The BioLite CampStove". PopSci.
  15. "Dead Phone Battery? Just Burn Something". The New York Times. 6 November 2012.
  16. "Portable combustion device utilizing thermoelectrical generation". Google Patents.
  17. "BioLite adds a grill option to its gadget-charging CampStove". Gizmag. 15 March 2013.
  18. "BioLite BaseCamp Stove". Kickstarter.
  19. "BioLite BaseLantern – Smartgrid Goes Off-Grid". Kickstarter.
  20. "Beyond 'Buy One, Give One': Pairing Cause Marketing with Social Enterprise". Good + You. 5 December 2012.
  21. "BioLite HomeStove". Core77 Design Awards.
  22. "Pure Innovation". Ispo.com. Retrieved 2020-01-03.
  23. Wilson, Mark (2014-10-15). "Announcing The Winners Of The 2014 Innovation By Design Awards". Fast Company. Retrieved 2020-01-03.
  24. "Public Interest Design Global 100". Public Interest Design Global 100. Archived from the original on 2013-07-03. Retrieved 2013-07-01.
  25. "Travel + Leisure Announces 2013 Design Award Winners". MediaBistro. 6 February 2013. Archived from the original on 16 May 2013. Retrieved 17 June 2013.
  26. "Charge Your Devices Around the Campfire?". Autodesk. 28 February 2013. Archived from the original on 2 July 2013. Retrieved 17 June 2013.
  27. "Gear of the Year 2012". National Geographic.
  28. "BioLite™ Honored for Innovation and Design by Fast Company". SNEWS. 17 September 2012.
  29. "EPIC Award: Inventors of BioLite Stove". Gear Junkie. 10 August 2012.
  30. "SB Community Supports It's [sic] Own: Citizen Group Award's BioLite the Winner in "Play It Forward" Competition". Sustainable Brands. 19 September 2011. Archived from the original on 4 May 2013. Retrieved 17 June 2013.
  31. "BioLite Home Stove". Design to Improve. Archived from the original on 2012-06-30. Retrieved 2013-06-17.
  32. "America's Most Promising Social Entrepreneurs 2011". Bloomberg Businessweek. 13 July 2011.
  33. "2011 ST ANDREWS PRIZE FOR THE ENVIRONMENT $125,000 PRIZE AWARDS". St. Andrews Prize.
  34. "UC Berkeley Sensors Takes Top Prize in Vodafone Innovation Project". Smoke in the Kitchen. 22 April 2010. Archived from the original on 28 June 2013.
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