NAIROBI— It’s time for yet another sneak peak into the brains and the brawn behind Takamoto Biogas. Meet Graham Benton. Graham is the Director of Market Development and that keeps him pretty busy (even busier today since this video was made only a month ago!) He is well known in Githunguri (the town we are installing our first 50 test biogas systems in), perhaps by his flaming red hair, but more likely by his can-do attitude and hearty handshake. Learn more here!

Posted by: Joy Kisengu – Takamoto Intern

NAIROBI—Good afternoon Nairobi! The month of May has been an exciting month at Takamoto Biogas. We are proud and happy to report that 16 families have biogas system already installed at their homes and next-door neighbors are competing with each other to see who can get biogas first! This has led to multiple installations in a single day and a need for some new biogas installation technicians.

We are happy this month to discover that Mwangi, a new Takamoto technician, was so excited about biogas, that he convinced his grandparents to get it. Mwangi is happy that his grandmother will no longer have to cook in a smoky kitchen, spend a lot of energy collecting firewood or have sooty pots.

Here you can see Mwangi carrying a bucket of dung with so much zeal during the installation

The family stands by the side of the biogas digester getting installed and watches as the technicians get their hands dirty

Their little beautiful grand daughter will also benefit due to improved family health and food security owing to agricultural application of the bio-slurry from the biogas system and in the future she will also be using the same system to cook for the family.

The family will benefit in that their kitchen will no longer be covered in soot since with biogas they can look forward to a bright and soot free house and they will be able to save on the amount paid for (liquid petroleum gas) LPG, firewood and charcoal.

“I will finally cook while seated after a long days work spent in the shamba [farm], “ said Mama Nyaga.

Download news release here. 

Takamoto Biogas

Receives Grand Challenges Explorations Grant

For Groundbreaking Research in Global Health and Development 

NAIROBI – Takamoto Biogas announced today that it is a Grand Challenges Explorations winner, an initiative funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.  Takamoto Biogas will pursue an innovative global health and development research project, titled Takamoto Pay As You Go Biogas.

Grand Challenges Explorations (GCE) funds individuals worldwide to explore ideas that can break the mold in how we solve persistent global health and development challenges.  Takamoto Biogas’s project is one of the Grand Challenges Explorations Round 10 grants announced today by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

To receive funding, Takamoto Biogas and other Grand Challenges Explorations Round 10 winners demonstrated in a two-page online application a bold idea in one of four critical global heath and development topic areas that included agriculture development, neglected tropical diseases and communications. Applications for the next Round will be accepted starting September 2013.

Takamoto Biogas has made a dramatic advancement in the renewable energy sector with an old and well-known technology: biogas. Biogas is a clean fuel that doesn’t produce smoke when used for cooking. Studies have shown that families who stop using traditional fuels such as firewood and charcoal and begin using biogas have fewer incidences of illness including: headaches, respiratory infections and pneumonia in women and children and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), cataracts and cancer in women. Even with all of these health benefits, biogas hasn’t had the impact it could in Kenya because of its high upfront cost (starting at USD 1,000). Takamoto’s Pay As You Go model will bring biogas to the millions who need a reliable energy solution. Rather than paying up front for a biogas system, farmers will pay only for the gas they need, when they need it while Takamoto experts maintain the biogas system ensuring that it operates at full potential. With PAYG biogas technology, there are no crippling installation fees, bank loans or failed biogas systems.

Takamoto has already begun a pilot project of Pay As You Go Biogas in Central Kenya. Farmers are eager to test this popular technology that is finally within their reach. Takamoto looks forward to a successful pilot followed by taking PAYG technology to the rest of Kenya in the next 3 years.

About Grand Challenges Explorations

Grand Challenges Explorations is a US$100 million initiative funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.  Launched in 2008, over 800 people in more than 50 countries have received Grand Challenges Explorations grants.  The grant program is open to anyone from any discipline and from any organization.  The initiative uses an agile, accelerated grant-making process with short two-page online applications and no preliminary data required.  Initial grants of US$100,000 are awarded two times a year. Successful projects have the opportunity to receive a follow-on grant of up to US$1 million.

About Takamoto Biogas

Takamoto Biogas is a renewable energy technology company focused on improving the lives of small-scale farmers by providing energy security. In a world where everyone should have access to reliable, affordable and sustainable energy, Takamoto delivers improved biogas products to better meet the growing energy needs of rural communities. Biogas is a versatile fuel that can be used for cooking, lighting and heating that many people can produce on their own farms with their animal waste. Use of biogas also decreases deforestation, reduces the upcountry workload and burns cleanly protecting the health rural families. For more information, visit the company’s website at www.takamotobiogas.com

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NAIROBI—While those of us in the Nairobi office have been pretty busy (and excited) about our newest biogas systems installations, we can’t forget about a teammate who is a bit far away but working hard to help us achieve our goal of getting biogas to more and more rural families. Avani is based in the USA (although she did spend some time in Nairobi getting to know some Takamoto clients) and she is working as a fundraising consultant to help finance the great work we are doing on the ground here. Now it’s your chance to meet Avani, so enjoy!

NAIROBI—around 8am on Friday morning we all piled into the truck (already full of bio slurry) and started on our way up to Githunguri town to install the third of our new model biogas system!

We made a quick stop at Graham’s upcountry apartment and our upcountry warehouse to collect additional pieces and tools for installation. Here Kyle supervised the truck while make some new friends.

Upon arrival, we were surrounded by children in a 4 house compound. Kenyan schools are on holiday so we were guaranteed some curious onlookers. Graham had many eyes to help him inspect the outlet on the biogas digester tank which had been delivered early that morning.

Meanwhile, Tedline prepared the biogas stove and piping in the house according to where Mama wanted to use the stove for cooking. The gas is piped underground so that it is protected in HDPE pipe.

When it was time to put the digester into the six foot hole prepared by the client, everyone wanted to help!

With the digester in the ground, it was time to pre fill it with some of the special bio slurry from our R&D testing facility and then mix it with fresh dung from the farm. The bio slurry is already partially digested and producing biogas which ensures that the client will be using biogas within one day of installation.

At the end of the day, I think everyone was smiling as big as this small onlooker— even if only on the inside!

One more family is now using Takamoto biogas, saving money, using reliable fuel and protecting their family and the environment!

NAIROBI—It’s time to shed some light on yet another member of the Takamoto Team! Meet Susan, the Takamoto Biogas office manager. She always keeps everything running smoothly and does it all with a big smile. If you come to our office, you are likely to be greeted at the door by the one and only Susan Nakami!

NAIROBI— It is getting rainy in Kenya, but we aren’t hiding away in the office, we are installing our brand new model of biogas systems!

Two of our new model of biogas systems are in the ground as we speak at two familie’s homes where they are most likely preparing tea over biogas as we write this, to fend off the chills of Kenya’s rainy season.

More details coming soon so stay tuned….

The clients, Steve and Ann’s kids helped with the installation of biogas system number 1.

NAIROBI—Have you been wondering who manages the crew at Takamoto? In the second video of the Meet the Takamoto Team series, meet Niraj Varia, Managing Director at Takamoto. After many years living abroad, he is happy to be back in Kenya, working to change the lives of rural farmers with biogas!

Learn more about Niraj below.

NAIROBI—Have you been wondering who the smart brains are behind this Takamoto? Well lucky for you, starting today we are letting you inside those bright heads one by one. Meet Takamoto R&D engineer, Paul Muthui, Why does he love this stuff? He hopes to one day have a Takamoto system in his family’s own compound.

Learn more about Paul below.

NAIROBI— This is a week of exciting news in the Takamoto office! We have just received word that Takamoto is a semifinalist for the Echoing Green 2013 Fellowship and a finalist in two additional grant competitions (more details on these soon).

This year, Echoing Green received nearly 3,000 submissions of which 444 have been selected as semifinalists. We are proud to be one of those 444, and we look forward to the next round!

About Echoing Green 2013 Fellowship:
Echoing Green’s world-renowned two-year Fellowship program provides more than $2 million in seed funding to a diverse group of the world’s most promising social entrepreneurs. From thousands of applicants, typically fewer than one percent are ultimately selected as Echoing Green Fellows. Those selected receive funding to help launch new organizations; access to Echoing Green’s robust network; leadership development opportunities; and one-to-one support and counseling. 

Stay tuned for more news on our progress with this fellowship and other grants.