Team

Harpreet Kaur

00:28, Oct 09, 2018

Dussehra in India is celebrated with great vigor and festivities by the Hindus. The festival marks the victory of good over evil. The 10-day long celebration includes melas and Ramlila– an enactment of the scenes from Ramayana. On the 10th day, the scene of Ravana Dahan is enactment. This is followed by the burning of the effigies of Ravana, Meghnath, and Kumbhakarna. https://thebhakti.com/dussehra-2018-vijayadashami-wishes-quotes-images-greetings/

Team

Dorine Poelhekke

05:52, Jul 18, 2016

Thank you Rachid! We're happy to be working together on this!

Team

Dorine Poelhekke

05:52, Jul 18, 2016

Thank you Jan van der Kaaij!

Team

Dorine Poelhekke

05:51, Jul 18, 2016

Thanks Richard!

Team

Dorine Poelhekke

02:00, Jul 13, 2016

Thank you Muyomba! I wish you the same!  :)

Team

Dorine Poelhekke

01:59, Jul 13, 2016

Thank you Gerwin! We'll do everything we can to make it happen!

Team

Dorine Poelhekke

01:57, Jul 13, 2016

Thank you so much Alex! We feel very honoured!

Team

Rutger Stack

03:03, Jul 04, 2016

Hi Peter, thank you for sharing this. We are happy to work together to enable the East-African smallholder farmers :)

Team

Rutger Stack

03:29, Jun 17, 2016

Hi Chioma, that's really great feedback! It's great to see everyone participating to help reduce the food spillages all over the world!

Team

Chioma Ume

06:17, Jun 17, 2016

Thanks Rutger - I agree, it's been great seeing so many people join in the conversation we're having in this challenge! 

Team

Dorine Poelhekke

06:43, Jun 17, 2016

Dear Chioma Ume , once again thank you and the expert team for your spot-on feedback! We have quite elaborate answers, so I'll split them up in separate comments for each question. 

Team

Dorine Poelhekke

06:45, Jun 17, 2016

Q Expert team: How would users like chiller system to work? Have you considered a couple prototypes of different systems?


A SimGas team: To start with answering the last question, yes, we have considered and tested multiple prototypes in the design process. We are designing following an iterative design process. Up to now, we’ve done iterations in two phases, (1) the decision of the cooling technology in parallel with market assessments of Kenya, Tanzania and Zambia and (2) the product design phase in parallel with testing the value proposition and business case for target customers.
In the first phase we have investigated what cooling technologies combined with biogas/other renewable energy sources could meet the requirements of a milk chiller. The most potential technologies have been prototyped and tested, on which we could conclude that absorption cooling would be the best suitable solution.

In the second phase, we started to design the total product. We’ve tested the first iteration in the field; four identical prototypes tested by four dairy farmers in Tanzania, for a duration of 6 weeks. The three goals were: (1) Technical feasibility to acquire Proof of Concept status; (2) Value proposition and business case for the dairy farmer; (3) To improve the usability of the product. In the last aim, we’ve investigated how our users would like the system to work. For this first model we aimed at using a technology in the most basic form; a prototype consisting of a water basin in which the cold energy was stored during the day. On a weekly basis, our Tanzanian colleagues checked upon the performance of the system and answered questions of the customer. The four most interesting insights were (i) the customer couldn’t believe only 10 L of milk could be cooled with a chiller this big; (ii) our customers found a water basin not robust through ice formation and dirt entering the water via the can. Then, (iii) we asked the customer to stir the milk once during cooling to decrease the cooling time. Data showed us that the customers didn’t find stirring valuable enough compared to the effort it takes. At last, (iv) one customer used the chiller to cool water for consumption. To add to that, the other three customers mentioned that they would like to chill other goods, such as meat.



In the iteration that followed, we’ve completely changed the cooling storage of the chiller, mainly to decrease the size and the biogas consumption, to improve the robustness and usability, and to include the possibility to integrate a 4L cooling compartment to cool other goods and to decrease the insulation losses. The first two goals were tested successfully in a climate room the Netherlands. The last three goals were tested through a questionnaire in the field (the movie that is shown in the previous Amplify phase is part of that test). These goals will be tested more elaborately in the next iteration.



Reflecting on the past phases, we see that the focus has been mainly on technical challenges (~70%) and less on human centered design (~30%). However, we see that the upcoming main challenges will lay in the adaptation of the product offering to the user; we need to make the shift towards human-centered design, for which design support from IDEO would be very much welcome! :)



In October of this year, we will test 15 prototypes of this new design at smallholder farmers in East Africa, aiming to validate the technology and functionality, assess the availability, acceptability, affordability and awareness of the value proposition for end users and to optimize the product-user interaction and product-service system. The details of the prototype tests that we plan to do can be found in the attached document ‘SimGas BMC prototype worksheet_OpenIDEO.pdf’.

Team

Dorine Poelhekke

06:47, Jun 17, 2016

Q Expert team: Looks like it may be the most high-tech item on the farm of the producers. Are there maintenance issues/requirements the producer needs to be aware of?

A SimGas team: 
High-tech product: Next to their motorcycle, cellphone, solar-powered lights and chargers, yes, the biogas milk chiller would be another 'high-tech' product. But not that high-tech: it runs off-grid, on any type of domestic anaerobic digester, and uses the proven and reliable absorption cooling technology (found in regular household refrigerators). Moreover, the necessary product-user interaction is very limited and easy to understand thanks to a design that uses high-tech just for that! However, we are aware that introducing high-tech products in rural East Africa may raise concerns (which we take into account during the design process), but we are also aware of the aspirational value of owning new technology. Our experience with our biogas digesters that are currently on the market is that one of the most important reasons for people living in rural East Africa to purchase a product with new technology is that they can feel proud; proud of having access to that new technology and showing their family, friends and neighbors that they have it.


Maintenance: We offer technical maintenance and servicing by our local service and installation teams. Currently, our biogas digesters are sold through our own hubs in 11 regions spread over Kenya and Tanzania. Every hub has a service and maintenance team and is not further away from our customers than 10km, in order to provide the best product service and keep in close contact with our customers.
When introducing a new product, all teams from different hubs will be trained to provide technical maintenance and servicing to the product. The maintenance for the chiller will be done on a yearly base, changing biogas filters, checking the cooling performance, biogas connection and deterioration of the materials. The servicing is done upon request of the customers.

The performance of the chiller shouldn’t rely on the maintenance of the user to the system. It should always work. Therefore, the maintenance for the user is only to keep the system clean and make sure they keep a little biogas in the tank after cooking.

Team

Dorine Poelhekke

06:48, Jun 17, 2016

Q Expert team: Issues with dust/animals/placement? Does it need to be covered or stored in specific ways?

A SimGas team:
In the design requirements we’ve incorporated the influences of the environment on the chiller’s robustness, lifetime, placement, safety etc. These requirements have led to e.a. a sustainable material choice of the housing, the chiller being higher up from the ground for cleaning, adjustable feet to be able to place it on different ground types and to protect the user from accessing hot or sensitive parts.
Our installation team together with the customer will determine a suitable place for the chiller. The only restrictions are that the chiller should be covered by a roof (of a shed) to protect the chiller from being exposed to direct sunlight or rain, to prevent a lower cooling performance and to prevent a shorter product lifetime.

Team

Dorine Poelhekke

06:49, Jun 17, 2016

Q Expert team: Would seasonality (rains, temperature) affect the availability of biogas for the cooler?

A SimGas team: 
In the rainy season the ambient temperature drops a bit, depending on which area in East Africa. Bacteria in the digester reproduce better at higher temperatures. When the ambient temperature decreases, the biogas production drops slightly. Our experience of the effect of the rainy season to biogas production is approximately 20%, depending on the altitude.
When considering the effect of the temperature drop on the milk chiller, it has a positive effect. When the ambient temperature drops, the BMC will be able to more efficiently use the biogas to cool milk, meaning that less biogas is needed.
Next to that, the additional benefit of a continuous cooling system is that the biogas production of farmers owning enough cows to own a chiller, is higher than the biogas consumption of the chiller. This means that even if there is a little biogas left in the digester, the chiller can continue to run.

Team

Dorine Poelhekke

06:50, Jun 17, 2016

Q Expert team: Is there enough biogas produced to meet the needs of the cooler and the farm kitchen?

A SimGas team: 
If predominantly evening milk needs cooling, milk chilling powered by biogas shows a positive energy balance: the per-head production of cattle dung generates sufficient energy to cool down the per-head milk production and leave room for other applications such as cooking. However, we would like to further develop the milk chiller as efficient as possible in its consumption of biogas, to leave even more room for using a biogas rice cooker, biogas lamps, etc.

Team

Dorine Poelhekke

06:51, Jun 17, 2016

Q Expert Team: Is the milk still cool upon reaching its destination?

A SimGas Team: 
This is an important issue to raise. The milk temperature will rise during delivery of the milk to the collection center. We’ve simulated this temperature rise and to be precise, 10 Liters of milk will rise from 4 to 12°C at an ambient temperature of 30°C on an average delivery time of 2 hours. The milk will be cooled or processed right after delivery at the collection center, making the time for the bacteria to duplicate rather short (bacteria multiplication is an exponential increase). However, we would like to enable dairy farmers to deliver the best quality of milk possible to the collection center. As we would like to deliver milk cans with the Biogas Milk Chiller, we’ve considered providing them with an insulation bag for transportation as well. We need to do research on the various means of transportation methods and prototype various insulation bags to be able to design a solution that is suitable for every farmer. We are reminded by your comment and will include several iterations of insulated transportation bags in the field test of 15 prototypes this October. Thanks!

Team

Dorine Poelhekke

06:53, Jun 17, 2016

Q Expert Team: Is biogas the most efficient method of doing this? Not questioning biogas, but just curious. As for viability are there collectives that would be an easier sell?

A SimGas Team: 
To chill milk properly, down to 4°C within 3 hours, requires a relatively high amount of power (in the technical sense of a large amount of energy over a short period). Electricity would arguably be the best choice, but 85% of rural household in East Africa lack access to a (reliable) electricity grid and the grid connection rate is low. Using biogas as a renewable energy source for on-farm milk chilling in East Africa is a viable solution that anticipates on: 1) A lack of access to a (reliable) power grid; 2) A positive energy balance: the per-head production of cattle dung produces sufficient energy to cool down the per-head milk production; 3) Biogas is becoming an increasingly accepted and available energy source among smallholder dairy farmers. With the up-scaling of biogas digester dissemination a new, independent, energy source for milk chilling announced itself; 4) For a small-scale dairy producer, the investment costs for alternative energy sources, like generator sets or solar systems, is prohibitive; biogas systems show the lowest payback period in cost-benefit analysis among possible energy technologies for small-scale milk chilling. Our Biogas Milk Chiller uses the proven and reliable absorption cooling technology - which is not super-efficient - but we managed to get it to comply with the international milk cooling standard: cooling milk from 35ºC to 4ºC within 3 hours, which is 7x faster than regular refrigerators.

We have trouble understanding what you mean by “As for viability are there collectives that would be an easier sell?” Could you help us explain what you mean?

Team

Dorine Poelhekke

06:54, Jun 17, 2016

Q Expert Team: I'd love to know what partnerships you have the ground.

A SimGas Team:
SimGas, Mueller BV, BoPInc and SNV Netherlands Development Organization entered into a consortium in March 2014 with the goal to develop, design and market a device for on-farm milk cooling that runs independently from the grid, using biogas as a source of energy.

SimGas BV (based in The Netherlands) and SimGas East Africa (based in Tanzania and Kenya) develop and design the product, and bring it to the market by setting up the entire business system and organization, from marketing, sales and finance, to distribution and customer service;
SNV has built a long-term local presence in 38 of the poorest countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America. To date, their involvement worldwide (>20 countries) resulted in the commissioning of > 550,000 bio-digesters, out of which 50,000 in Africa. SNV has a strong portfolio in both dairy and biogas programs in Eastern Africa. Their role is in market analysis, capacity building, and promotion of the milk chillers;
Mueller BV is specialized in developing milk cooling tank equipment, and distributes its products in over fifty countries. They bring in sector expertise, experience in commercialization, and distribution channels;
BoP Innovation Centre provides business incubator services to companies operating in developing countries, and assists SimGas in marketing and market linkages in Europe and Africa.

To reach our first customers in East Africa, we plan to collaborate with the following commercial partners: Mueller (partner), milk processors, dairy cooperatives, national biogas programs, and biogas construction enterprises – all of with whom the first conversations have taken place.

Team

Dorine Poelhekke

06:55, Jun 17, 2016

Q Expert Team: Do you have a sense of what these units might cost? The ROI for farmers?

A SimGas Team: 
The business case for the target customer is based on the additional income a farmer can get when he/she is able to sell evening milk to the dairy cooperative. An example of the viability of the milk chiller for the customer is shown based on actual farmer data from January 2014 at a milk collection center in Duga (Mkinga district, Tanga region), Northeast Tanzania (sample size: 165 farmers):

• 121 farmers do not bring evening milk to the MCC (73%);

• The average of milk deliveries in the morning is 9.1 L on average, while this is 7.3 L in the evening (80% of morning milk);

• The formal milk price in Duga at farmer gate is 640 Tanzania Shilling/L, which is 0.27 €/L;

• On average, 73% of the farmers can increase their income from milk sales by 80%, assuming limited informal market opportunities, when cooling the evening milk and delivering this milk the next morning to the milk collection center;

This means that the average farmer ‘earns’ €590 (or USD 660) per year by using the biogas milk chiller 300 days a year. Aiming for a payback period of 1 to 2 years, this gives us an idea of the limits of the market price for the milk chiller such that it is still affordable. Throughout the development of the biogas milk chiller, we aim to keep the cost price at a minimum without compromising on product quality and cooling performance.


Speaking of affordability: it is difficult for many small dairy farmers to have sufficient cash at hand to cover upfront investments. Financial products of banks, MFIs and SACCOs are often not suitable for investments in biogas product and appliances. To optimize the financial sustainability of the sales of biogas milk chillers to low income groups, we propose to offer revolving fund customer finance at arm’s length of the sales and installation process of the biogas-powered milk chillers. This will allow the smallholder dairy farmer to pay for the product in tranches, through a milk payback scheme. This will bring down their burden of upfront capital needs, making biogas-powered milk chillers available at a large scale, therewith making the product commercially viable. Biogas-powered milk chiller sales in combination with customer finance will also bring down investment risks for households and increase the overall acceptance of biogas milk chilling as a viable solution to cool milk.

Team

Dorine Poelhekke

06:56, Jun 17, 2016

Q Expert Team:  Have you thought of offering a guarantee on the unit? Service agreement? What are your early thoughts?

A SimGas Team: 
A sale of our biogas systems comes with a 2-year warranty; installation service, training service, tailored lease-to-own finance and customer service (incl. SMS service). We plan to offer a similar warranty for the Biogas Milk Chiller; including installation service, a training service, technical maintenance service on a one year basis, customer service and a tailored milk payback scheme. Adding to this, we will install the first series with remote monitoring equipment. The integrated data loggers measure the biogas pressure from the digester, biogas consumption of the milk chiller, temperatures (ambient, refrigerant going to and from the milk cans, start milk cooling cycle). These parameters are measured to timely detect any technical failures, such that we can pro-actively schedule service visits at the customer.

Team

Dorine Poelhekke

07:07, Jun 17, 2016

Q Expert Team: Looking forward to learning more!

A SimGas Team: We look forward to learn more too! :) 

Team

Chioma Ume

16:26, Jun 19, 2016

Hi Dorine,
Thanks for the super-detailed responses! I think what the second question meant was why not target the collectives rather than individual farmers. I think that your responses get at the reason why! Thanks! 

Team

Dorine Poelhekke

02:54, Jun 20, 2016

Dear Chioma, I see now what you meant! Just to clarify:

We target the dairy farmer and their affiliated dairy cooperatives (with their own network of collection centers), but in different ways and for different reasons:
The value proposition is initially directly to smallholder dairy farmer affiliated to dairy cooperative societies. Our solution is targeted to the dairy farmers because this is where the problem originates. Farmers live simply too far away from the market to deliver their (evening) milk before it spoils. The FAO estimates the resulting post-harvest milk losses, in terms of opportunity cost, at farm level at 30-40%. Our idea responds to a clear demand from smallholder dairy farmers, who currently have limited or no option to keep their evening milk produce fresh until the next morning, to increase their milk income significantly by improved access to secure markets for evening milk.

The gains for the collection centers, dairy cooperatives and dairy processors are a result of the solution at farm level: cooling at farm level will result in more evening milk supply to the dairy cooperatives, who will become more economically viable due to improved coverage of operational expenses. Subsequently, more milk collected at the cooperatives results in increased milk transport to the milk processor. The dairy processor in its turn, increases the intake of evening milk and therefore the utilization of its installed processing capacity. Besides the increase of raw milk supply into the dairy value chain, the project supports the transformation of the smallholder dairy sector in Eastern Africa from quantity- to quality-based performance, as milk cooling at farm level significantly increases milk quality. The increased quality of milk at the milk processor results in increased opportunities to process milk into higher value products, like cheese.


To reach the dairy farmers, we target their affiliated dairy cooperative societies (through close collaboration with associated dairy processors); the dairy cooperatives are our intended communication and sales channels, next to SimGas biogas hubs, product ambassadors (model farmers and extension workers) and selected biogas construction enterprises (BCEs). We intend to target our promotion and marketing campaigns to dairy cooperatives societies by providing them with promotional materials (e.g. product posters, flyers, infographics), by organising product demonstrations at their premises, and train product ambassadors among their members. Furthermore, we intend to utilize the existing financial infrastructure of the dairy cooperatives by providing milk payback schemes to the dairy farmers: they can pay off the Biogas Milk Chiller through milk installments (like dairy farmers are already used to for purchasing dairy cows, for instance).


Why would the dairy cooperatives and processors be willing to cooperate?

Dairy co-operatives: Functional benefits: increased loyalty of members for milk delivery, increased intake of evening milk (without increasing the milk collection frequency), reduced milk rejection, and reduced electricity use for cooling milk. Emotional benefits: feeling modern, image promotion of the co-operative to farmer; making their members feel proud to use modern equipment at their farms, strengthened image among their members.

Milk processors: Functional benefits: increased loyalty of farmers in evening milk delivery, increased intake of evening milk and therefore increased utilisation of installed processing capacity and improved quality of collected milk. Emotional benefit: feeling connected with milk producers, growing a stronger farmer connection.


I hope this answers the question more clearly!

Team

Chioma Ume

08:22, Jun 21, 2016

It does, thank you! 

Team

Dorine Poelhekke

05:17, Jun 17, 2016

Thank you Japhet! 
Last year, four of dairy farmers living in Tanzania have tested our Biogas Milk Chiller prototypes, with whom the SimGas design team and operational team, and SNV local staff have met and have had fruitful conversations. Last May, our local team went back to visit them and ask them for new feedback considering the new version of the design.
Within this community we have gotten feedback from various members, and last week we received expert feedback from Chioma Ume  and her team. We haven't met her in person, but maybe we will one day; we definitely hope so! You can read her feedback in this comment feed. Soon we will also post our answers to all of her questions.
For the pilot of the 1st series of Biogas Milk Chillers in Tanzania, Kenya and Zambia by the end of this year, we plan to cooperate with various dairy processors and dairy cooperatives to connect with their members. SimGas has hub offices throughout Tanzania and Kenya as well, so we'll be close to our first customers.
As for your last question about whether or not the product shall be provided free of charge: SimGas is a triple bottom line company that takes social and environmental impact just as seriously as economic impact; we aim to prove that social entrepreneurship can be profitable, because we believe that is the way to for social enterprises to have a sustainable future. I am curious what your opinion is on this: Do you think it should be provided free of charge, and for what reasons? 

Team

Lia Bardoel

07:56, Jun 16, 2016

Thanks Yvonne!

Team

Dorine Poelhekke

06:23, May 31, 2016

Dear Maarten, thanks for your comment! Yes, we indeed hope that the utilisation of biogas for milk chilling might make biogas as a renewable energy source even more attractive for small holder dairy farmers!

Team

Dorine Poelhekke

06:20, May 31, 2016

Hi Andrée, good question, thanks!
In our experience with our biogas systems, we have learned that our customers often find it a hurdle to make a full upfront payment in one transaction. We're therefore thinking about offering a lease-to-own option for the target customers so that they can pay off the system through milk installments, in cooperation with their Dairy Co-operatives. 

Team

Geert Koemans

01:33, May 24, 2016

Hi Paul,
Using food scraps as feedstock for the digester is being done and it will be digested like any other organic material. Human 'toilet' waste as feedstock will also generate some biogas, although there are some hygiëne challenges around the biodigester and the effluent coming from it. I have never heard of any issue with pathogens from the gas, especially as it is being burnt eventually.
What pathogen issue do you mean exactly?
And you mean a safe processing of human waste would change the life of rural Kenyans?
Love to hear more,
Geert

Team

Paul Cook

05:59, May 25, 2016

Hi Geert,
You're correct, I believe the concerns are with using the effluent as compost if human waste was placed in the digester, not with burning it.  If one were able to convert a pit toilet into a means of refrigeration, that would be monumental.  Best of luck with the challenge!  Paul

Team

Geert Koemans

08:21, May 25, 2016

That would indeed be monumental! New challenge?

Team

Maarten Kalis

Edited on 02:05, May 24, 2016

Hi William. Thank you for your feedback and interest in this product. We agree that care should be taken while working with biogas. It is indeed flammable, however, it is the hydrogen sulfide in the biogas that is toxic and corrosive when present in high concentrations. Therefor we will install a hydrogen sulfide filter with every milk chiller. The filter will remove this contaminant, ensuring safe use. Biogas leakage risks are adressed by proper gas parts and a flame safety device that will automatically shut off the biogas flow in case the flame is blown out by wind for example.
We believe in product ownership; the farmer needs to be proud of his or her product, ensuring that it will be treated accordingly. Our experience is that even when the product is well taken care off, there are limits to what can be expected from the owner. For now we intend to offer service to every milk chiller we sell, even when we scale up. And we have an excellent local team to do that. 

Team

Jeroen Thoolen

10:23, May 23, 2016

No product in the market yet, and still user feedback! Great to see SimGas' empathy for his customers!

Team

Laura Nawijn

04:53, May 23, 2016

B: great idea to use the biogas for these different uses!

Team

Dorine Poelhekke

Edited on 08:41, May 20, 2016

Thanks Lisa Cornelisse and Joseph Kisyoky for your great work in the field! These are some good insights! 

Team

Geert Koemans

03:18, May 23, 2016

Lekker bezig lisa

Team

Dorine Poelhekke

05:21, May 20, 2016

Cool idea! Perhaps its possible! If we can cool milk using biogas, why not vegetables too?

Team

Dorine Poelhekke

05:20, May 20, 2016

Thank you Willem Boers for your interest and all your questions! We’re happy to answer them and we’re curious about your ideas on how to upscale our biogas milk chiller!


About the amount of biogas needed: The daily manure from one dairy cow is sufficient to cool her own daily milk. The amount of biogas available depends on the availability of feedstock and the size of the digester.

About a farmer’s additional energy needs: For a small scale farmer without access to a (reliable) electricity grid, biogas is a great solution to fulfil their energy needs. One of which is cooking on biogas: this is a clean and healthy alternative for cooking on wood or charcoal.

About the investment costs: We are still in the product development phase during which we aim to keep cost price at a minimum without compromising on quality and performance.

About maintenance and robustness: We design the product such that it would require very low maintenance. The design has a closed cooling system and is therefore expected to be very robust, user friendly and reliable. Our operations team in East Africa aim to do regular quality control check-ups on the biogas milk chillers.

About extra income generation by using the biogas milk chiller: The biogas milk chiller gives the user the opportunity to prevent 10L of (evening) milk per day from spoilage. These 10L of milk that previously was at risk of being rejected, can now be sold, and thereby generate extra income.

About average travel time for milk delivery: The average travel time is irrelevant; the biogas milk chiller is a solution for those farmers that would rather avoid spending the time, effort and risk (of gender-based violence) to deliver their evening milk in the pitch dark to their collection center.

About testing milk quality: This differs per collection center; common tests are alcohol tests, lactometer tests, sight-smell-taste tests, and the Resazurin test.

Team

Dorine Poelhekke

Edited on 08:45, May 18, 2016

Thank you Vegetable Resource Centre for your positive comment!!
A brief answer to your question about how the biogas-powered milk chiller can increase milk sales: the milk chiller device enables small holder dairy farmers without access to a (reliable) electricity grid to maintain, and deliver, and sell the highest possible quality of raw milk by chilling raw milk down from 35°C down to 4°C within 3 hours, on their own farm, using biogas. With milk chilling available on-farm and off-grid, their evening milk will not go sour overnight; it will maintain its quality. The risk of milk rejection (and thus milk spoilage) at their milk collection center is therefore eliminated, which will increase their milk sales.