This generator turns biogas into electricity

Do you live in a rural setting and are looking for ways to reduce electricity costs? Worry no more for there is a generator that  can help you do exactly that.

The generator, which produces electricity from biogas, is just one among a range of biogas products developed by Dominic Wanjihia of Flexi Biogas Systems for low-income earners.

“Flexi Biogas Systems has been in existence since 2011, when we started producing products that made biogas affordable to many homes upcountry,” Mr Mr Wanjihia told DN2 during a visit to the company’s workshop in Karen, Nairobi, adding that their systems are particularly popular since they can be used even by people with just one cow, or none at all. This is because they can still produce the essential methane gas by digesting kitchen waste and garden weeds.

“The use of biogas as an alternative fuel thus gained popularity among low-income earners, many of whom could not afford to get connected to the national electricity grid,” says the company’s founder.

As a result, Mr Wanjihia took it as a personal challenge to come up with a generator that could run on biogas. He had always been a tinkerer with technology from a tender age, so it took him only a few months to come up with the bio-generator.

QUIET MACHINE

“Our first product was a generator that required petrol to run. However, after a few trials we realised that it was not economical so we had to design an engine that could run on diesel. The latter proved to be more sustainable,” Mr Wanjihia explained.

Mr Josephat Chege, the firm’s operations manager, explained how the generator works.

“There is an inlet pipe attached to the generator that is connected to the source of the gas. The generator also needs a small amount of diesel to initiate the initial spark, after which it runs solely on biogas. You only need to pull a switch on the generator to start it,” he said.

Running on 20 per cent diesel and 80 per cent biogas, the generator can produce 240 volts of electricity. When connected to a house wiring system, it can power common household appliances such as an iron box or vacuum cleaner.

“The electricity produced can also power farm machinery such as chaff cutters, water pumps and electric grinders,” adds Mr Wanjihia.

“We have also modified the generator  such  that there’s a battery connected to it, which is charged by an alternator whenever the generator is running. For regular household energy needs, the generator needs to runs for only 45 minutes to charge the battery with enough voltage for an entire day’s usage,” Mr Chege said.

With the frequent power blackouts,  the generator can surely come in handy. You need to run it for only a couple of minutes to produce enough energy to last you several hours.

But like other portable generators, the noise produced by this one can be a deterrent. However, Mr Wanjihia assures that quieter models can be assembled for clients on request.

A proponent of clean energy, Mr Wanjihia wishes home owners would go green within their households.

“People should invest more in solar energy and ensure that all their appliances, especially light bulbs, are energy efficient. Simple energy-saving practices will see one not only save a fortune in electricity costs, but also play their part in protecting the environment,” he said.