Eclipse began life in May 2018 when Christel van den Nieuwenhuizen, fourth-year Psychology & Technology student, heard about ‘IEEE, Empower A Billion Lives.’ A special competition that was held for the first time that year by a non-profit organization that wants all humankind to benefit from technological innovation. In particular the population of third world countries, where energy scarcity is a dominant factor in the lives of three billion people. One-third of them even have no electricity at all.

Electric power offers new ways of combating poverty, and can also improve healthcare and education, IEEE believes. Their aim is to stimulate smart, easy, cheap and scalable solutions that will improve the lives of the world’s poorest people by means of a worldwide competition.

“I was talking to Full Professor Korneel Wijnands of Electrical Engineering, and he told me about this competition. I was sold immediately and found like-minded allies in several WhatsApp groups,” Christel says. “We entered the competition with five students. A wonderful group of people.”

Cooking stove

Jessica Vuijk, third-year Psychology & Technology student, is in charge of the team’s public relations. “One of the major problems, our research showed, is air pollution from cooking. People use wood to cook on their stoves and nearly smoke themselves out of their houses. It causes pulmonary diseases and other health problems.”

The five students, who study at departments such as Sustainable Innovation, Electrical Engineering and Applied Physics, came up with the idea to build a small stove using wood fuel. A rocket stove that generates very little smoke, or no smoke at all, because of the complete combustion. Jessica: “And it generates energy simultaneously, based on the temperature difference. That will motivate people to cook in a more energy friendly way, because they get electricity in turn.”

They sent their idea and design sketches to IEEE online in September. Shortly after, Eclipse received an invitation to present their prototype in Seville, Spain. Christel: “We were one of 16 teams out of 180 applications for the European round. There were over 500 applications worldwide. Each continent has its own regional round, and the winners move on to the global finals.”

Technological steps

Jessica and Christel believe that technological innovation is only part of the story. The way in which these innovations impact people’s daily lives is what matters as well. Jessica: “Electricity is a means rather than an end. You have to get people to accept a technological innovation. The fact that something works here in the Netherlands is no guarantee for success in Africa. It’s about habits, how people live. Change requires adjustments and time. That is true for every household, so how can we make that step towards change as small as possible? Even when it concerns something as simple as a cooking stove. Everyone finds that interesting to work on, irrespective of our study program. It allows you to put your own stamp on it.”

Strengthening the organization

After a rather tumultuous presentation in Seville at the end of last year, plans for the cooking stove have been put on the back burner momentarily. A field test in Africa has been postponed for a while. Jessica: “We initially concentrated on the competition, product development, and meeting deadlines. In the coming period, we first want to expand our team, strengthen the organization, and find sponsors so that we can develop other ideas besides the cooking stove. There will be a new competition round in 2020, so there is enough time to come up with new ideas and test them. It’s entirely up to the new students to decide which direction we will go.”

Level of cuddliness

Christel: “What makes our student team unique as well is the fact that we focus on developing countries. We come up with innovations and think of ways to implement them for people who are badly in need of them. The fact that is has to be cheap and practical leads to a completely different approach to improving or optimizing a product. You can have a positive influence on people’s lives. In that regard, we have a high level of cuddliness. A sponsor can support the content of our work and support a good cause at the same time. Isn’t that what we all want, a better world?”

If you want more information or wish to register as a team member, you can visit Eclipse’s brand-new website. Or even better, pay them a visit on the 21st of may. Eclipse will be at the Martkhal of Metaforum between 12:00 and 14:00 hours during a promotion event.