Whether they affect climate change or not (and they genuinely might) a couple of the winners from the recent FT Climate Change Challenge (www.ft.com/climatechallenge) show the level of innovative and connected thinking that all of us should strive for.
The first is called "The Kyoto Box" and it uses cheap materials (cardboard, paint, aluminium foil) to create a simple solar oven costing about $5 which can be used in developing countries to reduce the use and dependency on firewood. It has an effective power of about 1kw so can be used for most cooking duties and for heating water, and of course when not needed per se can be used to heat a ‘storage medium’, such as a large stone, to release stored heat at night. Because there is less wood burnt the problems of smoke inhalation and the associated respiratory problems are also reduced (land in any developing country on a still day and you'll understand this).
The second idea has been developed at Loughborough University and uses a special design of ceiling tile to create evaporative cooling in a ceiling surface, as air is drawn over it, so reducing room temperatures without the need for conventional air conditioning. A simple application of a well known idea.
The key thing about these and several other ideas in the competition is that they don't need ‘big science’ or large investments to achieve results – if you like, a real triumph of inspiration and perspiration over investment. This is the kind of thinking a lot of companies will be looking for in the current investment starved climate.
Website link to the IChemE: www.icheme.org