BioLite is a

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

-based

startup company A startup or start-up is a company or project undertaken by an Entrepreneurship, entrepreneur to seek, develop, and validate a scalable business model. While entrepreneurship includes all new businesses including self-employment and businesses tha ...

that produces off-grid energy products for outdoor recreational use and emerging markets. The company is known for its wood-burning stoves that use thermoelectric technology to create usable electricity from the heat of their fires. It was founded in 2006.

History

Jonathan Cedar and Alexander Drummond together developed the BioLite stove technology. They met while working at

Smart Design Smart Design (or Smart) is a design consultancy based in New York City. Smart was founded in 1980 by industrial designers Davin Stowell, Tom Dair, Tucker Viemeister, and Tamara Thomsen, with Stowell serving as CEO. The firm has been a prominent ...

, a design consultancy in New York City. The two inventors became interested in portable stoves that utilized small amounts of

biomass Biomass is a term used in several contexts: in the context of ecology it means living organisms, and in the context of bioenergy it means matter from recently living (but now dead) organisms. In the latter context, there are variations in how ...

to power battery-powered fans. The idea evolved to a low-emissions stove that used a thermoelectric generator called the BioLite CampStove, which was officially launched in 2012. BioLite is headquartered in

DUMBO, Brooklyn Dumbo (or DUMBO, an acronym for Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass) is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Brooklyn. It encompasses two sections: one situated between the Manhattan Bridge, Manhattan and Brooklyn Bridges, which ...

with an additional office in

Nairobi, Kenya Nairobi is the capital and largest city of Kenya. The city lies in the south-central part of Kenya, at an elevation of . The name is derived from the Maasai phrase , which translates to 'place of cool waters', a reference to the Nairobi Riv ...

. In 2009, the founders learned that their technology could have impact on off-grid developing communities and bifurcated the business to incorporate both outdoor recreational and emerging markets. Using a modified

rocket stove A rocket stove is an efficient and hot burning stove using small-diameter wood fuel. Fuel is burned in a simple combustion chamber containing an insulated vertical chimney, which ensures almost complete combustion prior to the flames reaching t ...

and working with the Aprovecho Research Center, Cedar developed a larger model cook stove named the HomeStove, designed to replace harmful indoor cooking fires.

Timeline

2009

* January – CampStove prototype wins top prize at ETHOS Combustion Conference * September – Cedar leaves Smart Design to work on BioLite full-time * November – HomeStove H1 prototype is created

2010

* March – The addition of a USB Port is considered for the future of BioLite * April – With the help of the Aprovecho Research Center, thermoelectric rocket stove emissions were measured

2011

* February – BioLite settles down in

Brooklyn, NY Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...

and hires its first staff members * May – In an effort to understand user needs, BioLite field tests the H2 HomeStove prototype in

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

* September – After five rounds of prototypes, the CampStove design is approved * November - Winner of the

St Andrews Prize for the Environment The St Andrews Prize for the Environment is a prestigious international environmental award funded and administered by the University of St Andrews in Scotland, United Kingdom. Prior to 2020, the American exploration and production company ConocoP ...

* November – Field tests are run in

Ghana Ghana, officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It is situated along the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, and shares borders with Côte d’Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, and Togo to t ...

and

Uganda Uganda, officially the Republic of Uganda, is a landlocked country in East Africa. It is bordered to the east by Kenya, to the north by South Sudan, to the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, to the south-west by Rwanda, and to the ...

with the H3 prototype

2012

* May – The first CampStove orders ship * April –

USPTO The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) is an agency in the U.S. Department of Commerce that serves as the national patent office and trademark registration authority for the United States. The USPTO's headquarters are in Ale ...

grants BioLite patents for core technology * November – HomeStove H4 prototype approved for pilot testing

2013

* February – BioLite launches Portable Grill Accessory * Spring – BioLite debuts at REI stores nationwide * September – BioLite launches KettlePot Accessory

2014

* June – BioLite launches BaseCamp Stove campaign and raises $1MM on Kickstarter * August – BioLite launches KettleCharge * October — BioLite wins Fast Company Innovation by Design Award for the BioLite Home Stove

2015

* February – BioLite launches the NanoGrid, expanding the organization's energy offering into the Lighting category * November – BioLite announces that it has erased its carbon history and commits to ongoing

carbon neutrality Global net-zero emissions is reached when greenhouse gas emissions and removals due to human activities are in balance. It is often called simply net zero. ''Emissions'' can refer to all greenhouse gases or only carbon dioxide (). Reaching net ze ...

2016

* February – BioLite launches Energy Ecosystem: PowerLight Mini, SolarPanel 5 Series, and CookStove *September - BioLite launches the BaseLantern on Kickstarter. 2017 * February - BioLite expands product offering with a second generation of the CampStove, CampStove 2 featuring more power and an onboard battery. The company also launches a 10-watt solar panel and three sizes of battery banks they call Charge 10, Charge 20, Charge 40. * September - BioLite launches a smokeless wood-burning fire pit on Kickstarter. * November - BioLite launches SolarHome 620, a solar-powered lighting, charging and radio system for off-grid homes around the world. This product is sold throughout the outdoor recreation community and to families living off the grid in Kenya. 2018 * February - BioLite launches a small solar-powered lantern called SunLight. * September - BioLite releases new HeadLamp on Kickstarter: HeadLamp 330 2019 * BioLite launches a rechargeable, 330-lumen headlamp 2020 * BioLite expands HeadLamp offering to include a 200-lumen and 750-lumen headlamp model * BioLite releases all-new cooking accessory line for FirePit 2021 * BioLite releases a color-changing lantern utilizing ChromaReal Technology: AlpenGlow Lantern Series

BioLite products

HomeStove

The HomeStove's design converts the heat of fire into usable electricity to power a fan, which then reduces fuel needs by 50%, toxic smoke by about 95%, and

carbon monoxide Carbon monoxide (chemical formula CO) is a poisonous, flammable gas that is colorless, odorless, tasteless, and slightly less dense than air. Carbon monoxide consists of one carbon atom and one oxygen atom connected by a triple bond. It is the si ...

emissions by 91%. Additionally, the amount of CO₂ saved per year by one stove equals the amount that's saved by buying a hybrid car. The remaining off-grid energy that does not power the fan can then be used to charge portable devices through a USB port, such as cell phones and LED lights. Moreover, the effects of

deforestation Deforestation or forest clearance is the removal and destruction of a forest or stand of trees from land that is then converted to non-forest use. Deforestation can involve conversion of forest land to farms, ranches, or urban use. Ab ...

are lessened and time is regained by women and children who spend hours gathering wood for open fires. Manufacturing costs are low, and this efficient wood-burning stove pays for itself within six to seven months. BioLite HomeStove

BioLite focuses on sustainable market development by using a market-based approach, as opposed to donations or a “one for one” model. This allows for local

entrepreneurship Entrepreneurship is the creation or extraction of economic value in ways that generally entail beyond the minimal amount of risk (assumed by a traditional business), and potentially involving values besides simply economic ones. An entrepreneu ...

and stimulates local markets. The HomeStove is currently in large-scale pilot testing across

, and

. Recently, thanks to a Spark Fund grant, BioLite will be kicking off a project in Uganda with partners at Impact Carbon. The Spark Fund grant is part of the

Global Alliance for Clean Cookstoves The Clean Cooking Alliance, formerly the Global Alliance for Clean Cookstoves, is a non-profit organization operating with the support of the United Nations Foundation to promote clean cooking technologies in lower and middle-income countries. ...

, an organization that provides clean cook stoves to people in areas with high poverty rates. Its mission is to reduce the number of deaths caused by open cooking fires each year (approximately four million) and is endorsed by people such as

Julia Roberts Julia Fiona Roberts (born October 28, 1967) is an American actress. Known for her leading roles across various genres, she has received multiple accolades, including an Academy Award, a British Academy Film Award, and three Golden Globe Award ...

and

Hillary Clinton Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton ( Rodham; born October 26, 1947) is an American politician, lawyer and diplomat. She was the 67th United States secretary of state in the administration of Barack Obama from 2009 to 2013, a U.S. senator represent ...

(who referred to BioLite in her announcement of the UN Clean Cookstove Alliance).

CampStove

The CampStove was launched in 2012 and is predominantly used by outdoor enthusiasts. Renewable

biomass fuel Biofuel is a fuel that is produced over a short time span from biomass, rather than by the very slow natural processes involved in the formation of fossil fuels such as oil. Biofuel can be produced from plants or from agricultural, domestic o ...

s – such as sticks, pinecones, and brush – power the stove instead of resources like charcoal or

petroleum Petroleum, also known as crude oil or simply oil, is a naturally occurring, yellowish-black liquid chemical mixture found in geological formations, consisting mainly of hydrocarbons. The term ''petroleum'' refers both to naturally occurring un ...

. The CampStove can boil water in 4.5 minutes. Smaller than the HomeStove, the CampStove is 8.25” tall and weighs 33 oz, but like the larger model, excess heat is converted into energy. BioLite sells stoves in over seventy countries. The CampStove has also been used as an

emergency preparedness Emergency management (also Disaster management) is a science and a system charged with creating the framework within which communities reduce vulnerability to hazards and cope with disasters. Emergency management, despite its name, does not actua ...

tool. In the aftermath of

Hurricane Sandy Hurricane Sandy (unofficially referred to as Superstorm Sandy) was an extremely large and devastating tropical cyclone which ravaged the Caribbean and the coastal Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States in late ...

, tables were set up in New York City, offering those without power hot drinks and a chance to charge their cell phones.

Portable stoves and grills

The BioLite Portable Grill, released in 2013, is designed to work with the CampStove. Features include a fuel intake lid for fire maintenance, compact design with foldable legs and a travel cover for transportation. Other accessories for the CampStove include a FlexLight for nighttime cooking, a KettlePot for boiling water, and a CoffeePress for camp coffee. In 2017, BioLite launched a smokeless wood-burning fire pit called the FirePit on Kickstarter.

Lighting products

BioLite also has a set of rechargeable lights: HeadLamp 330, HeadLamp 200, HeadLamp 750, SiteLight String, AlpenGlow 250 and AlpenGlow 500. BioLite lanterns incorporate rechargeable lithium-ion batteries with LED ChromaReal Technology, can be recharged with a USB connection, and can supply power to external devices via USB. BioLite's SolarHome 620 has a solar panel that charges up a central control box which powers 3 hanging lights, USB charge-out, and an MP3/FM radio system. The SolarHome 620 is currently in use in over 40,000 homes across western Kenya as well as vans, cabins, and sheds throughout the United States and beyond.

Charging products

BioLite also sells products that can generate and store electricity for USB devices. They make the SolarPanel 5+, the SolarPanel 10+, and the Charge 20, Charge 40, and Charge 80. The SolarPanels are both solar panels with a "kickstand", with the "+" model including an internal lithium-ion battery for energy storage. The Charge products are re-chargeable battery banks to store power for USB devices.

Business model

According to BioLite, they used their “near-term CampStove market as a way to generate revenue that essentially allowed

hem A hem in sewing is a garment finishing method, where the edge of a piece of cloth is folded and sewn to prevent unravelling of the fabric and to adjust the length of the piece in garments, such as at the end of the sleeve or the bottom of the ga ...

to become

heir Inheritance is the practice of receiving private property, titles, debts, entitlements, privileges, rights, and obligations upon the death of an individual. The rules of inheritance differ among societies and have changed over time. Offi ...

own investors in the HomeStove vision.” That involves a

market-based A market economy is an economic system in which the decisions regarding investment, production, and distribution to the consumers are guided by the price signals created by the forces of supply and demand. The major characteristic of a market ...

approach to some of the issues in emerging communities. The recreational and emergency preparedness markets of the CampStove and other products keep the HomeStove and SolarHome 620 low-cost for off-grid communities in sub-Saharan Africa. BioLite uses local distribution networks and alters their stove design to support the variety of cultural cooking preferences.

References

{{reflist, 30em Companies based in New York City Stoves