The primacy of developing and accelerating the delivery of Net Zero solutions in Africa is underscored by the alarming impact of climate change in countries such as Kenya. In addition to temperature rises, increased floods, droughts and storms have dealt harsh socio-economic consequences in both urban and rural areas. Whilst Africa's 4% contribution to global warming(1.45 billion tonnes) is low in comparison to other nations, the existing warm-climate means that it is poorly suited to cope with the consequences of climate change, already experiencing intense fallouts of environmentally damaging carbon emissions. To temper the effects of climate change by supporting Africa to transition to Net Zero solutions, the development of innovative passive technology is necessitated. This project targets the cooling industry, traditionally dominated by AC usage, responsible for approximately a quarter of Kenya's GHG emissions. In alignment with the Kenyan Government's plans to cut carbon emissions by 32% by 2030\. and the National Action Cooling Plan, focus is on the development and expansion of a passive air-cooling technology that can entirely replace, or significantly reduce, the rising demand (in response to temperature increases) for energy-intensive air-conditioning. FREECOOL+ is based on patented technology, first developed under an Energy Catalyst Grant and trialled in north-west Kenya. The system, which has been specifically designed as a lower-cost alternative to the parent product (FREECOOL), to meet the needs of the African market, entails a roof mounted wind tower, heat pipes and a cold sink to continually cool the incoming air, providing fresh air supply and cool environments by up to 15 °C. This project will further the development, testing and demonstration of FREECOOL+ to accelerate uptake and widespread roll-out, particularly focussed on night-time cooling. The system will be trialled in a variety of real-world settings (including accommodation blocks/offices/healthcare facilities) in both urban and rural areas. Independent verification from the BRE indicated that FREECOOL+ has capability to achieve sufficient air-cooling at night-time, without support from any mechanical ventilation. Furthermore, working in tandem with AC units, FREECOOL+ can dramatically reduce power-demands, lowering carbon emissions and mitigating pressure on over-stretched power-grids. This is a high-impact, disruptive technology proposal, that presents a viable conduit to cut/lowering Kenya's carbon emissions; appealing to African markets as a low-cost, effective solution. Project leaders will be Free Running Buildings, an SME with extensive experience and expertise in passive ventilation technology, in partnership with the University of Sheffield and Enso Ventures in Kenya.

The project uses patented heat recovery and airflow technology, coupled with solar thermal technology for agri-processing in Kenya. Working with producers and processors in value chains such as Moringa and mango - the project will deliver value for smallholder farmers by reducing post-harvest losses that occur when products are spoiled before they can reach the market. The project will demonstrate the effectiveness of solar-thermal drying for Moringa processing by designing, building and commissioning a high capacity dryer able to operate 24/7 powered entirely by renewable energy at a Moringa facility that serves 500 farmers. The solar thermal system has considerable benefits in comparison to existing technology - including faster drying, the delivery of a constant temperature that can be remotely monitored; lower cost and ease of installation. This will facilitate the production of higher-quality products that meet the quality requirements of international buyers looking to expand supply chains in the East-African region. Besides this, the project will carry out capacity building and training, including practical demonstrations of the solar thermal drying systems to increase awareness of the potential for renewable energy to deliver economic and social benefits in agricultural value chains.

Free Running Buildings Ltd (FRB), will apply world-class expertise in low-carbon engineering to deliver a pioneering, high-performance, cost-effective passive ventilation system. FREECOMFORT will be the first zero energy technology with complete air conditioning capabilities, and an innovative design to mitigate the spread of Coronavirus/airborne viruses in multi-occupancy buildings. It addresses a catalogue of pressing socio-economic challenges: i) adhering to national/international goals for energy efficiency/Net Zero by 2050; ii) circumventing the soaring cost of energy bills; iii) realising the demand for increased ventilation amidst the global pandemic; iv) meeting legislative requirements for indoor air quality/thermal comfort in the wake of rapid climate change. This scalable innovation, which will initially target high occupancy buildings (schools, offices, leisure centres and healthcare premises), stems from the development of previously successful, patented FRB technology for wind-driven passive ventilation, heat-exchange and low energy cooling. It will utilise FRB's patented heat pipe matrix and configurations to transfer heat to pre-heat or pre-cool inlet air. The technology guarantees no cross-contamination of air, boasting an all-in-one air exchange wind-tower, separating exiting air from incoming air, with additional features for moisture control. FREECOMFORT has enormous potential to disrupt markets in the UK and internationally, delivering a solution that is superior regarding capability and customer value. Adequate ventilation of a high-occupancy buildings requires a full refresh of inside-air every 6-10 minutes to manage levels of carbon dioxide, pollutant/allergens and temperature. This demand increased further by the emergence of Covid-19 (C-19) - with CIBSE recommendations to bypass mechanical systems to work purely on fresh air intake. This sudden shift highlighted the huge operating cost of mechanical ventilation based on fresh air supply (e.g. UK public sector: 26billion kWh/year; 6.9million tonnes CO2/year; £750million/year). Focus has shifted to alternative solutions, yet whilst the adoption of wind-tower-based passive ventilation is growing, the necessity to frequently and rapidly raise or lower the inlet air temperature, _when outdoor temperatures are not suitable for thermal comfort_, stimulates a significant space-heating or cooling requirement in many market territories, fundamentally restricting the zero-energy operating window and viability of this approach. FREECOMFORT offers an effective response; an easy to install, low-cost, zero energy system that meets consumer needs year-round, delivering a step-change in passive heat-recovery-efficiency. FREECOMFORT is set for rapid commercialisation and can underpin significant social/environmental/economic gains: \*reducing carbon-emissions; \*providing improved ventilation at lower-cost; \*increasing revenue for supply chains and industries (i.e. heat piple/metal fabrication/construction/green buildings); \*supporting Government policies/UK Economy.

FREECOOL+ is an innovative, passive air-cooling system that can combat the issue of thermal heat and energy access in Kenya. It is based on state-of-the-art technology solutions developed by UK SME Free Running Buildings Ltd (FRB), for markets in the Far East. This will be adapted to provide a lower-cost, efficient, zero-energy alternative to mechanically ventilated air conditioning systems. FREECOOL+ is housed within a roof-mounted wind tower, using heat pipes and a cold sink to continually cool incoming air to provide fresh air supply and cool environments by up to 15 degrees Celsius. The project, led by FRB, will be supported by world-leading experts from the Building Environment Group at the University of Hull, humanitarian aid organisations and energy consultancy and social enterprise firms that operate within Kenya. The technology will be trialled within refugee camps in Kenya, validated on-grid and off-grid and progressed to TRL8/9\. The resulting impact entails far-reaching social, economic, health and environmental benefits. In the short term this will include delivering heightened thermal comfort and optimum air quality in schools, healthcare facilities and office complexes in Kenya's refugee camps. This will have particular advantages, in terms of equality and social progression, for school children and also impact vulnerable groups that are most effected by thermal heat and poorly ventilated conditions (associated with the spread of pulmonary diseases and heat stroke). In the medium term, it is expected that uptake of the commercialised product will extend to Kenya's dominantly rural population and penetrate the hospitality and tourism industry. This will realise significant cost-savings for end users, in comparison to mechanically powered systems, and generate profit for manufacturing businesses and supply chains in Kenya. Longer term, the development and commercialisation of a disruptive new technology will be a catalyst for further investment and economic prosperity in Kenya and enable corporate expansion for FRB, reaping financial returns for the UK Economy. Moreover, the uptake of passive technology and development of this market in Sub-Saharan Africa, reduces CO2 emissions and aligns with Kenya's commitment to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 30% by 2030\.

This proposal will develop and manufacture PROTECT -- a safe, innovative 222nm far-UVC light fixture installed in air handling units to destroy COVID-19 found in exhaled microdroplets in indoor environments. PROTECT can be used in a populated indoor environment with no harmful effects on skin or eyes.

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"Free Running Buildings Limited targets the first cost-effective high-performance passive ventilation system with heat recovery, with the aim of radically reducing the energy, carbon dioxide and cost-burden of achieving legislative requirements for indoor-air-quality in public-sector buildings: namely schools, healthcare facilities and leisure centres. Health, performance and productivity of occupants in these buildings is significantly impacted by failure to maintain acceptable levels of carbon dioxide, pollutant/allergens and temperature. Adequately ventilating these buildings requires the inside-air to be fully refreshed every 6-10 minutes, with existing approaches to ventilation and heating yielding over 60% of energy-use and running-costs in these sectors. To address the huge energy and cost-demands of current technologies such as air-conditioning or mechanical ventilation systems, adoption of wind-tower-based passive ventilation is growing. However, the requirement to constantly and rapidly raise the inlet air temperature, when the weather outside is below a comfortable ambient temperature, stimulates a significant space-heating requirement in many market territories. This requirement fundamentally restricts the zero-energy operating window and corresponding viability of this approach in many scenarios. In response, and working collaboratively with the University of Sheffield (Building Energy Group and the Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre), Free Running Buildings now aims to further develop their core technologies for wind-driven passive ventilation and heat-exchange to realise FREEHEAT. Targeting a 5-degree Celsius thermal gain using novel heat pipe designs and configurations to capture exhaust energy and pre-heat inlet air to realise a step-change in passive heat-recovery-efficiency and system weight, integrating this technology into their proprietary modular flat-pack assembly also catalyses new retrofit capability for existing passive ventilation systems."

Most modern building cooling systems consume high levels of electrical power, driving energy consumption rates in buildings. The energy burden from AC will rise with growing populations, emerging middle classes, & global warming. Free Running Buildings (FRB) Ltd & the Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC) at the University of Sheffield will undertake collaborative development activities to finalise design for manufacture of FREECOOL, a zero-energy passive ventilation with active cooling system, FREECOOL can lower incoming air temperature by 15°C and remove humidity with no requirement for power. The collaborative team will finalise the design for manufacture of flat packed modules, for easy shipping and modular construction. Field trials carried out during this project will demonstrate the ability of FREECOOL to reduce energy consumption in building.