How FRED Energy provides a platform for those without clean energy innovations

Amrit Mirchandani

Just under one billion people still live without electricity. The world has moved from telephone to the internet to self-driving cars and Mars missions but 1/7th of our population is deprived of the basic comfort of a fan or a light bulb. Even after a century of innovation, there was a limit to the amount of electricity produced by fossil fuels as well as the distribution of this expensive electricity to the world’s poorest continents and countries.

Electrification is important

That brings us to another huge problem exacerbated by lack of electrification: poor health. The World Health Organization puts it succinctly: “Unreliable electricity access leads to vaccine spoilage, interruptions in the use of essential medical and diagnostic devices, and lack of even the most basic lighting and communications for maternal delivery and emergency procedures.” In other worse, an electrified world is a healthier world.

Providing a platform for energy innovations

FRED Energy plans to create an online marketplace that will encourage innovators to market and sell their innovations. At the same time, it will provide a platform for those in non-electrified areas to buy these innovations with FRED Energy tokens across the globe.

An example of such innovation is Dennis, who is an inventor of alternative energy systems. His work started in the Dominican Republic where he used to live in a fishing village which suffered from frequent power cuts day and night. The power shortages at night meant you were left in total darkness without even being able to go outside.

This situation led Dennis to start experimenting with a 3600-rpm gasoline generator. His genius led the engine run for 4–5 hours on the same amount of fuel instead of just one hour. It even eliminated the noise generated from the motor. Then he got it to charge 4 batteries and powered his home with this.

He has dedicated 8 years to his mission of alternate energy and now lives in an eco-friendly house that is completely off-the-grid. His latest innovation is a compact generator that provides for a light and charging for the cell phone. It is useful because it is light, unlike most solar installations. It is a smart device which is a compact 220V lighting + phone charging system of the size of a CD, it was built to address the power cuts issue that takes place in Africa and India and any area with families and homes with no connection to the grid.

Dennis now manufactures 10 such pieces in a day as he is home based. We know the necessity of basic light and phone charging for people without access to electricity. The device is apt for such population since it is small and compact, cheap and does the basic job in places where even a light bulb is a luxury.

The second device Dennis invented is a DC battery charger that allows you to charge a big battery from a small motorbike battery that was charged by a tiny solar panel. Since we cannot charge a big car battery directly from a solar panel, Denis found a way to do it successfully. With it, you can have a portable system without the need of a large solar panel.

The 8–10W solar panel is flexible, thin and lightweight. It will charge a motorbike battery. From this battery, with the help of a special circuit he invented, one would be able to charge a larger battery, all this from an 8–10W solar panel measuring 35x20 cm.

FRED Energy’s solutions

FRED Energy’s online marketplace is a host for people like Dennis. It is a win-win situation as Dennis will be able to sell his innovation solutions online directly from the Dominican Republic and someone based in Africa or India can buy it for their use. This ensures that innovation is distributed at a faster pace and the complete trade network will be based on FRED Energy’s blockchain to ensure transparency and global access.

The online marketplace will not just be for buying and selling but a community for energy innovators to share, discuss, get feedback and then sell their innovations. Such a community can be very powerful if they can collaborate across the world.

FRED Energy’s pledge

Our project pledges to purchase one light and phone charging device per $1000 of funding raised and we will give these devices free to those in need. For every $100,000 raised that will be 100 households that will benefit from our project.

Conclusion

FRED Energy is one of the few companies using modern technology like blockchain to solve problems in developing countries. Projects like promoting the use of electric Tuk-tuks and the creation of Charging Point Operations in developing countries can provide huge benefits to people like Denis.

This will also enable FRED Energy to have presence and brand association with clean and modern energy sources throughout the world.