Electricity, Gas & Heat

Access to Electricity

Solar

Access to electricity and gas significantly decreases the level of poverty a family is living with. It provides increased comfort to a home, makes it safer, and increases the ease of some physical tasks like cleaning and cooking. However, it can be expensive and impractical for certain regions and villages.

Investing in solar energy is one of the best solutions to provide electricity for unconnected areas. Solar-powered panels, lights, and machines built over time can change the lives of many in a village.

This article addresses a project called EU4Energy, which is coming up with green solutions for power in rural Armenia:

Individuals seeking to contact a delegate in Armenia about this project should reach out to their respective delegation.

Delegation of the European Union to Armenia

Postal Address:

21 Frik Street, Yerevan 0002, Armenia

Entrance for visitors: Proshyan Street side.

Phone:

+374 (10) 54 64 94

Additionally, there is a contact form for reaching out to the EU Neighbors Organization.

Purchasable Solar Sources of Electricity

Having constant lighting for a village can improve many different factors. Historically, light has been shown to reduce rates of crime, helps prevent eye strain, and can improve moods.

Street Light

Lantern

Collapsible Light

Biogas Reactors

These reactors take organic waste and turn it into biogas that can be used for cooking and heating. They can be done in the large scale as seen in the video below or in smaller household designs such as in the links below.

Other Personal Generators below can be built or purchased for installation.

For Purchase 

ADRA Cold Climate Biodigester

For Information and DIY Ideas

How to Build the ARTI Compact Biogas Digestor

Build a Biogas Plant

Heating

Ways to Improve Wood Stove or Fireplace Efficiency

Use Higher-Quality Firewood

Common Misconception: Burning with slightly wet wood will not make the wood burn slower! It takes energy to evaporate the water that is in the wood, which means it will burn less efficiently and deliver less heat to your home. Wet or “green” firewood will also spark and smoke more, and emit more fumes that are harmful to breathe in. 

Make sure that firewood is dry and seasoned. One simple way to tell whether your firewood is dry is by clinking two pieces together. A hollow, ringing sound means it is drier than a dull, heavy thump. Feeling for moisture and weight, and looking for any fungi or mold growth are also helpful signs. 

Hardwood firewood such as from oaks, beech, and hornbeam are preferable to firewood from softwoods such as birch and aspen. Wood from evergreens such as junipers and pine are resinous and only recommended for kindling use.

Another way to easily tell hardwood from softwood is from the fingernail test – if you can drag your fingernail across the wood and it leaves a mark, it is most likely softwood. The deeper the mark the softer the wood and less efficient for burning. If there is virtually no mark, it is hardwood and better for burning.

Increasing Airflow within the Home

Circulating air in the house by using fans can help distribute heat. Make sure the house is insulated, especially windows. To increase the insulation of windows and still get sunlight, tape newspaper around the seam of the window.

Top-Down Fire Method

Building a fire with the bigger logs on the bottom and kindling on top increases ventilation and reduces smoke.

Clean Chimney

A clean chimney increases the efficiency of wood-burning and makes burning much safer. If too much creosote builds up in a chimney, it can decrease ventilation thus increasing the amount of smoke within the home. Creosote also has a much lower ignition temperature and buildup can cause an increased risk of dangerous chimney fires. 

  1. Cover fireplace with a drop cloth for easy cleanup
  2. Measure chimney size to determine brush size
  3. Remove damper
  4. Insert brush either at the top opening (top-down method) or through fireplace (bottom-up method)  and scrub the inside of the chimney.
  5. Scrub fireplace and clean up.

References

Armenia: New biogas plant and greenhouse opened thanks to the EU. (2019, July 30). Retrieved April 23, 2020, from https://www.euneighbours.eu/en/east/stay-informed/news/armenia-new-biogas-plant-and-greenhouse-opened-thanks-eu 

Deziel, C. (2018, December 19). How to Increase Heat From a Wood-Burning Fireplace. Retrieved April 23, 2020, from https://homeguides.sfgate.com/increase-heat-woodburning-fireplace-42581.html 

Dulley, J. (1995, November 5). Home Improvement: Ways to Get More Heat From an Old Fireplace. Retrieved April 23, 2020, from https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1995-11-05-re-65040-story.html 

Grigoryan, A. (2013, August 23). Solar Panels. Retrieved April 29, 2020, from https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Solar_panels.jpg

How to Clean a Chimney. (n.d.). Retrieved April 23, 2020, from https://www.familyhandyman.com/roof/how-to-clean-a-chimney/ 

Small Scale Biogas Design. (2015, January 25). Retrieved April 23, 2020, from https://www.build-a-biogas-plant.com/small-scale-biogas-design/ 

Small-Scale Biogas Technology. (n.d.). Retrieved April 23, 2020, from http://csanr.wsu.edu/publications-library/energy/anaerobic-digestion/small-scale-biogas-technology/