Undergraduates develop 'dirt-powered' microbial fuel cells to light Africa

To translate their idea into a reality, the team collaborated with designer and entrepreneur Richard Kirk. The founder of the London-based Elumin8, and more recently, Polyphotonics, is known for his development and use of a new lighting form based on electrically conducting polymers, akin to luminous plastic sheets. The students then turned to Peter Girguis, Assistant Professor of Biology in Harvard’s Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, who pioneered a microbial fuel cell (MFC) energy source suitable for the developing world.

MFCs capture energy produced by naturally occurring microbial metabolism and can generate electricity from organic-rich materials such as soil, manure, or food scraps. By contrast, most renewable energy technologies are based on solar or wind power. Unlike these and other natural solutions for generating electricity, the team says MFCs are more reliable—working day or night, rain or shine—and are markedly less expensive.

The further development of the technology was encouraged by the ongoing mentorship of Aviva Presser, who served as a teaching fellow for the course (and later joined the team as a technology partner at the close of the semester) and Paul Bottino, co-founder of the Technology and Entrepreneurship Center at Harvard (TECH) and the Idea Translation Lab, based at SEAS. Both Presser and Bottino have been involved with initiating or helping to run start-up ventures.

Such connections inspired the student team to not only enter the World Bank competition, but to go one step further and create a social enterprise, Lebônê Solutions, dedicated to solving the lighting crisis in Africa. In fact, the journey from concept to application to start-up was not a direct path and continued to evolve more than a year after the course wrapped up.

“The original concept in the course started with an idea of lighting London for the 2012 Olympics and then morphed into lighting Africa with the active role of the various advisors,” explains Edwards, who matches the students with idea generators of all kinds, from scientists to visual artists. “Aviva played a lead role as mentor and the Idea Translation Lab and Harvard Initiative for Global Health (HIGH) continued to support the students after the course ended.”

With the prize money from the World Bank competition and additional funding from Harvard Initiative for Global Health, the team will conduct the first field study in the foothills of Kilimanjaro, Tanzania starting in July. They then have plans to test and distribute refined prototypes in Namibia in collaboration with Namibia Connection Youth Network.