SoFTS - Solar Heat Storage for Drying Forest Tree Seeds
The Problem
The amount of forest cover in Kenya has decreased dramatically over the past 30 years and currently stands at around 6%.
But like many other countries in Africa, Kenya, has made ambitious commitments to restore degraded lands and increase forest cover to 10% and to restore 5 million hectares of land by 2030. Kenya Forest Research Institute (KEFRI) provides seeds for reforestation and needs to find ways to meet increasing demand – while reducing energy consumption used in the seed-drying process.
EnSo's Response
Innovative Solar Thermal technology – developed by Brunel University provides a 100% renewable energy solution to KEFRI’s seed-drying requirements.
EnSo is working with Brunel to design, manufacture, and install a prototype drying unit at KEFRI’s Mugugua facility.
The solar-thermal dryer will replace current systems that use unreliable grid power – reducing carbon emissions and ensuring uninterrupted production. Besides the cost-saving of reducing energy consumption, the new system will increase seed-drying capacity as KEFRI aims to increase annual production to meet the growth in demand.
The system is designed to be transportable so that it can be relocated to meet local or seasonal demands.
Currently approximately 30,000 workers are employed in this sector at different levels of skills
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