BioLite

BioLite

BioLite's logo
Headquarters	New York City

BioLite, a startup based in New York City, 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 utilize thermoelectric technology to produce usable electricity from the heat of their fires.

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 utilized a thermoelectric generator called the BioLite CampStove, which was officially launched in 2012. BioLite is headquartered in DUMBO, Brooklyn with additional offices in India, Uganda, and 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.

Timeline

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 lauches an idea for the 'DigsyStove'

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 1200-1600 degrees F in the biolite. ^[16]

Portable Grill

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]

Business model

BioLite employs a model of parallel innovation, long-term for-profit social enterprise supported by more immediate market capital.^[18] According to BioLite, they utilized their “near-term CampStove market as a way to generate revenue that essentially allowed [them] to become [their] own investors in the HomeStove vision.”^[19] That involves a market-based approach to some of the issues in emerging communities. The recreational and emergency preparedness markets of the CampStove keep the HomeStove low-cost. BioLite utilizes local distribution networks and alters their stove design to support the variety of cultural cooking preferences.

Awards

• Public Interest Design Global 100 (2013) ^[20]
• Social Impact Professional Winner (Core77 Design Awards, 2013)^[19]
• Best Adventure Gear (Travel + Leisure Design Awards, 2013)^[21]
• Autodesk’s Inventor of the Month (February, 2013)^[22]
• National Geographic’s Gear of the Year (2012)^[23]
• Innovation by Design Award (Fast Company, 2012) – Finalist^[24]
• 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)^[25]
• Play It Forward Project (Citizen Group, 2011)^[26]
• INDEX Awards (2011) - Finalist^[27]
• America’s Most Promising Social Entrepreneurs (Businessweek, 2011) – Top 25^[28]
• St. Andrews Prize for the Environment (2011)^[29]
• Dasra Social Impact Program (2010)^[7]
• Sustainable Brands Innovation Open (2010)^[26]
• PopTech Social Innovation Fellowship (2010) – Finalist
• Vodafone Wireless Innovation Prize (2010) – Partnership with UC Berkeley^[30]
• Top Prize for Lowest Emissions Stove (ETHOS Stove Conference, 2009)

See also

• Cook stoves
• List of stoves
• Portable stoves
• Rocket stove
• Wood-burning stoves

References

External links

• BioLite's Official Website
• Global Alliance for Clean Cookstoves