Recording of Wednesday, May 07, 2025 | The smarter E Europe Conferences 2025 | Conference Program | Language: English | Duration: 15:53 .
The transcript by aiconver AI delves into the integration of artificial intelligence across sectors like healthcare, finance, and transportation. It highlights how AI enhances efficiency and decision-making but also raises concerns about data privacy and ethics. The discussion emphasizes creating regulatory frameworks to ensure responsible use without hindering innovation. There's an exploration of AI's impact on employment, noting potential job displacement due to automation alongside new opportunities requiring different skills. Education programs are deemed crucial for equipping individuals with relevant technological skills. Additionally, Boreal Light GmbH addresses global challenges in water supply using renewable energy solutions such as desalination for off-grid regions lacking clean water access. Their system stores excess desalinated water during daylight hours when solar power is available and finds innovative uses for brine byproducts in sanitation or fish farming while supporting irrigation efforts through vertical farming projects. Environmental issues related to pollution from diesel spills affecting pristine environments globally are discussed along with Ukraine’s electricity reliability problems due to Russian bombings despite its nuclear-powered electrification system. A significant solar desalination plant was installed in Mykolaiv producing potable water daily amid these crises—highlighting the importance of off-grid solutions even within developed regions facing infrastructure challenges. Innovations like efficient cooling during desalination processes reduce waste significantly; examples include preserving fish catches better through proper storage on ice—a critical advancement for places like Senegal where spoilage rates remain high without adequate facilities.
Automated summarization by AI Conver
Anna Shepelenko
COO
Boreal Light GmbH
Germany
Electric cooking with solar energy is on the rise as both solar and battery technologies continue to improve, making it viable for off-grid homes. One of the main hurdles for solar-powered electric cooking has been energy storage. Cooking typically requires a large amount of energy for a short period, while solar generation is intermittent. However, advancements in lithium-ion and solid-state battery technology have made energy storage more efficient, allowing for cooking after sundown or on cloudy days. The efficiency of electric cooking appliances has also improved: In induction stoves, for example, most of the energy goes directly into heating the pot or pan. Appliances like electric pressure cookers and slow cookers are also energy-efficient. They can be ideal for solar-powered cooking setups, as they require a relatively low, steady energy input over a long period of time. With continuous advancements in solar PV and battery storage, solar electric cooking is likely to spread further in regions where grid access is limited or costly, such as parts of Africa, South Asia, and Latin America. In off-grid areas with limited access to electricity, PV systems are also key for powering refrigerators, freezers, refrigerated containers, and cold rooms. They are particularly valuable in rural or remote settings for storing perishable goods, medicines, and vaccines. New technological developments have significantly increased the efficiency of solar refrigeration systems, minimizing or even eliminating the need for battery power at night and during periods of low sunlight.Solar energy can also be used to purify or treat water to make it safe to drink or for agricultural or industrial use. This method leverages the power of sunlight, either directly or indirectly, to remove contaminants, pathogens, and impurities from water. There is a variety of methods for solar water treatment, ranging from using the sun's UV-A rays and heat to complex solar-powered water filtration systems where PV-generated electricity is used to pump water through advanced filtration systems such as ultrafiltration or RO (reverse osmosis). However, solar water treatment systems are still costly and require advanced technology and expertise.This session will provide an overview of current developments and insights into new applications for solar-powered cooking, cooling and water treatment.
Further Talks of this session:
Speaker
Deepak Mohapatra
Senior Officer - Business & Market Development
Alliance for Rural Electrification
Belgium
Speaker
Veit Goehringer
Advisor
GIZ - Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit
India
Speaker
Christa Roth
Director
Food and Fuel Consultants
Germany
Speaker
Géraldine Quelle
Project Manager
Phaesun GmbH
Germany
Speaker
Mark Kragh
Co-Founder & CTO
Off-Grid Europe GmbH
Germany