The question of how to effectively design products for consumers in the developing world has been widely debated. Several methodologies have been developed to address this issue focusing on human centered and community centered methods, but few methods are rooted in market-centered approaches. Recent advances in market-centered design from lean startup methodologies hold promise for the development of new methods that allow effective product design for consumers in the developing world. This paper contributes a method from which consumer level products can be designed to effectively supply the under-served markets of the developing world with innovative and sustainable solutions. Utilizing an iterative method based on three fundamental hypotheses, the Lean Design for Developing World Method (LDW) seeks to provide products that are economically viable, have strong market growth potential, and have a net positive impact on the customers and their communities.

The increased use of intermittent renewable power in the United States is forcing utilities to manage increasingly complex supply and demand interactions. This paper evaluates biomass pathways for hydrogen production and how they can be integrated with renewable resources to improve the efficiency, reliability, dispatchability, and cost of other renewable technologies. Two hybrid concepts were analyzed that involve coproduction of gaseous hydrogen and electric power from thermochemical biorefineries. Both of the concepts analyzed share the basic idea of combining intermittent wind-generated electricity with a biomass gasification plant. The systems were studied in detail for process feasibility and economic performance. The best performing system was estimated to produce hydrogen at a cost of $1.67/kg. The proposed hybrid systems seek to either fill energy shortfalls by supplying hydrogen to a peaking natural gas turbine or to absorb excess renewable power during low-demand hours. Direct leveling of intermittent renewable electricity production was proposed utilizing either an indirectly heated biomass gasifier or a directly heated biomass gasifier. The indirect gasification concepts studied were found to be cost competitive in cases where value is placed on controlling carbon emissions. A carbon tax in the range of $26–40 per metric ton of CO2 equivalent (CO2e) emission makes the systems studied cost competitive with steam methane reforming (SMR) to produce hydrogen. The direct gasification concept studied replaces the air separation unit (ASU) with an electrolyzer bank and is unlikely to be cost competitive due to high capital costs. Based on a direct replacement of the ASU with electrolyzers, hydrogen can be produced for $0.27 premium per kilogram. Additionally, if a nonrenewable, grid-mix electricity is used, the hybrid system is found to be a net CO2e emitter.

Executive SummaryThis project examined biomass pathways for hydrogen production and how they can be hybridized to support renewable electricity generation. The project considered many potential hybrid systems before narrowing the focus to two. The systems were studied in detail for process feasibility and economic performance. The best-performing system was estimated to produce hydrogen at a cost ($1.67/kg) within range of the Department of Energy target for central biomass-derived hydrogen production, while also providing value-added energy services to the electric grid.Of the domestic resources available for hydrogen production, biomass shows significant promise. Recent assessments have shown that more than 400 million tons of biomass currently is available annually in the United States (Milbrandt 2005). This could be converted to roughly 30 million tons of hydrogen by thermochemical processing. Thermochemical plants provide many opportunities for system integration.The project team generated a matrix considering the combination of biomass-processing technologies and how they could be hybridized with other technologies. The matrix contained more than 100 potential binary combinations. These were ranked based on criteria such as resource availability, technology maturity, and hybridization benefits. Some of the top concepts are listed below.Combined wind power and biomass gasification for co-production of fuel and power Combined electrolysis and biomass gasification for co-production of fuel and power Combined coal and biomass/bio-oil gasification systems for co-production of fuel and power with carbon sequestration for both processesCo-location and thermal integration using steam from a nuclear reactor to feed bio-oil reforming to produce fuel These results were further ranked using a decision matrix. Direct wind and wind-electrolyzer combinations with biomass gasification rose to the top of the decision matrix due to several factors. These selections provide renewable fuel and power, supplement grid demand, and also can take up excess electricity. The two concepts chosen for further analysis in this project can be summarized as follows.Direct grid leveling of intermittent wind power with an indirectly heated biomass gasification plant. The plant will produce both electricity and hydrogen.Using an electrolyzer in place of an air separation unit (ASU) with a directly heated fluidized-bed biomass gasifier for co-production of fuel and power.Both of the concepts chosen for further analysis share the basic idea of combining windgenerated electricity with a biomass gasification plant. Wind availability significantly overlaps biomass resource availability, making the use of locally produced wind electricity for gasification feasible. The proposed hybrid systems attempt to do one of two things:iv Fill wind energy shortfalls and feed a natural gas turbine that would be used for this peaking purpose; or Absorb excess renewable power during low-demand hours.The indirect gasification concepts studied could be cost compet...

-The Colorado School of Mines (CSM) hosts the oldest HumanitarianEngineering (HE) minor program in the USA, originally started in 2004. During the 2012/2013 academic year the program was overhauled and new curriculum was introduced. Several deficiencies in senior capstone courses were noted including poor quality of designs resulting from the tyranny of the rigid semester schedule; students focusing on the technical aspects of a design project while largely ignoring the social, financial, and sustainable aspects; and a loss of knowledge between academic terms due to turnover of students. These were addressed in the development of the Projects for People course through several methods. The course has been offered for two semesters and will be offered in multiple sections in the immediate future. Students, CSM faculty, and NGO partners have all found the course to be useful and rigorous, and the HE faculty have found the resulting designs to be of high quality.

The increased use of intermittent renewable power in the United States is forcing utilities to manage increasingly complex supply and demand interactions. This paper evaluates biomass pathways for hydrogen production and how they can be integrated with renewable resources to improve the efficiency, reliability, dispatchability, and cost of other renewable technologies. Two hybrid concepts were analyzed that involve co-production of gaseous hydrogen and electric power from thermochemical biorefineries. Both of the concepts analyzed share the basic idea of combining intermittent wind-generated electricity with a biomass gasification plant. The systems were studied in detail for process feasibility and economic performance. The best performing system was estimated to produce hydrogen at a cost of $1.67/kg. The proposed hybrid systems seek to either fill energy shortfalls by supplying hydrogen to a peaking natural gas turbine or to absorb excess renewable power during low-demand hours. Direct leveling of intermittent renewable electricity production is accomplished with either an indirectly heated biomass gasifier, or a directly heated biomass gasifier. The indirect gasification concepts studied were found to be cost competitive in cases where value is placed on controlling carbon emissions. A carbon tax in the range of $26–40 per metric ton of CO2 equivalent (CO2e) emission makes the systems studied cost competitive with steam methane reforming (SMR) to produce hydrogen. However, some additional value must be placed on energy peaking or sinking for these plants to be economically viable. The direct gasification concept studied replaces the air separation unit (ASU) with an electrolyzer bank and is unlikely to be cost competitive in the near future. High electrolyzer costs and wind power requirements make the hybridization difficult to justify economically without downsizing the system. Based on a direct replacement of the ASU with electrolyzers, hydrogen can be produced for $0.27 premium per kilogram. Additionally, if a non-renewable, grid-mix electricity is used, the hybrid system is found to be a net CO2e emitter.