From POPULAR MECHANICS:

“This year’s roster of winners is especially diverse, from high-tech winners such as the 300-mpg Aptera vehicle of the future, to low-tech innovations like rugged wheelchairs for the developing world,” said James B. Meigs, editor-in-chief of POPULAR MECHANICS. “With the energy crisis escalating and the increased focus on climate change and the need for conservation, it is especially rewarding to showcase winners who are making breakthrough contributions in these fields. These winners are applying brilliant design and engineering to improve the lives of others.”

Potenco won a Breakthrough Product Award for the PCG1, a pull-cord power generator that creates electricity for portable gadgets with far greater efficiency than hand-cranked devices. Learn more about the PCG1 at http://www.potenco.com/products/. Watch a video at Popular Mechanics.com.

Some of the other award winners include:

• Aptera for their ultra-high mileage plug in hybrid cars
• Amazon for their Kindle e-book reader featuring digital paper.
• Dr. Mehmet Toner for his circulating tumor cell detector. Dr. Toner is a biomedical engineer at Harvard-MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology

On Saturday, Mike, Jess and I spent the day at BarCampAfrica, an event bringing together a very interesting group of people with varied histories and interests, to talk and learn about Africa.

Google graciously hosted the event (and hopefully didn’t mind that we sampled a fair amount of their free food ; ) )

I believe there were 175 people in attendance and while the majority of attendees were US citizens (CA an MN seemed to be well represented), I think the list of African nationalities represented was pretty comprehensive.  I personally talked to folks from Ghana, Nigeria, S. Africa, Uganda, Rwanda, & Senegal.

Details of the day can be found on the BarCampAfrica site,  & by checking out postings on Twitter (#barcampafrica).

Big thanks to Ellen Lease & her team of volunteers for pulling the great day together.  Thanks as well to all the participants for making it such an interesting & rewarding event.  

We at Potenco are very much looking forward to the day when we can travel and see both the impact we’ve had (creating power entrepreneurs, helping find alternatives to kerosene lighting, etc) as well as signs that the community fostered at BCA (of social entrepreneurs, philanthropists, activists & technologists) has inspired and contributed to the growth of new institutions and practices improving the lives of people across Africa.

All the best,

Brian Warshawsky
VP Operations & Co-founder
Potenco Inc.

Some initial Potenco related photos:

by Erica M. Lee, on Flickr

by Erica M. Lee, on Flickr

Miquel Hudin testing Potenco by Maneno.org, on Flickr

Potenco teams with worldbike to prototype the Worldbike Mobile Power Station – A cargo bicycle capable of charging cellphones, lighting  homes and many other uses

Potenco is proud to announce an exciting new product partnership with worldbike, an international association of folks committed to transportiation solutions for the world’s poor.

Coupling Potenco’s expertise in human power technology and Worldbike’s innovative longbikes for the developing world, this partnership aims to launch a product that can create job opportunities in rural communities throughout the developing world. 

Worldbike lead, Andrew Hall (presently in Kenya), describes the opportunity as such: “ The  Worldbike…brings portability and cargo capacity to the rural setting. I’ve imagined a bicycle based water purifying station, cell phone charger, a knife sharpener, battery charger for running home  lighting systems, food grinder (like peanuts), a lathe and/or drill press that can travel to the work 

site.” 

In addition to a Worldbike specific human power generator, Potenco is engineering an inexpensive yet flexible bicycle power accessory which will allow anyone with a bicycle to produce 70-100W of continuous power. For an entrepreneur in Rural Africa, this would translate into the ability to charge approximately 18 phones for every hour of bicycling and provide a payback time for the investment 

in a matter of weeks, if not days. 

Potenco and Worldbike will be demonstrating a mobile power station at the Worldbike Booth  (#7027) at this year’s Interbike Expo in Las Vegas, on September 25th, 2008.

By bringing together the utility and mobility of low-cost longbikes and the high demand value-add of electricity generation, Worldbike and Potenco intend to initially micro-finance these set-ups to entrepreneurs in the developing world who would earn their living using their mobile power station to charge their neighborhood cell phones, provide power for home lighting at night, purify water, and other health and well being related services. Worldbike’s Andrew Hall will be leading tests of these products in the field in months to come.  

More on Worldbike 

Worldbike is an international network of bicycle designers, industry leaders, and international development professionals, working together to provide transportation solutions and create income-generating opportunities for the world’s poor. 

More on Potenco 

In 2009, Potenco will release a 30W generator for powering 12V deep cycle batteries in off-grid areas. Both products feature a pull-cord and eliminate the failure prone gears found in all crank-based generators. Sophisticated electronics efficiently gather the energy, making sure a person’s strength and time are not wasted. The Potenco solutions offer better cost per watt than hand-cranks and solar cells. 

Click here to watch Potenco Intern Jonas Ketterle demo a prototype bike powered generator.

Worldbike 

Kristna Evans, Executive Director 

Kristna is a self-proclaimed nonprofit organizational development enthusiast. She brings years of 

experience in a variety of nonprofit settings, as well as a long history of supporting innovative 

bicycle solutions for the world. 

Andrew Hall, Kenya-based Project Manager and Technical Lead 

Andrew is a bicycle designer and fabricator, as well as a non-profit and small business founder. His 

work has focused in the areas of sustainability and a business model and software program for 

bicycle lending programs. 

Potenco 

Mike Frandsen, CEO 

Mike has an extensive background in general management with an emphasis on supply chain 

management. Mike has over 25 years of experience working with companies in the U.S, U.K. 

and Canada. Prior to joining Potenco, Mike was the CEO of TradePoint Solutions (now part of 

DemandTec). From 1995 – 2002 he was responsible for the Supply Chain Management Division 

at PeopleSoft. Mike began his career with Andersen Consulting (now Accenture) with a focus on 

installing systems for small to medium manufacturing and distribution companies. Mike has a B.S. 

in Finance/Information Systems from the University of Colorado – Boulder. He is also certified in 

Inventory Management (CPIM) and in Resource Management (CIRM) from the American Production 

and Inventory Control Society. 

Colin Bulthaup, CTO/Founder 

Colin is an electrical engineer with a strong background in robotics, manufacturing, and nanotech. In 

2003 he co-founded Squid Labs, a Venture Technology firm which developed in-house technologies 

which were then spun-off as separate companies.  The spun-off companies included Instructables, 

Makani Power, OptiOpia, Howtoons, and Potenco.  Prior to Squid Labs, Colin founded Kovio, Inc. 

a Silicon Valley company that uses very high-resolution printing techniques to create low-cost 

circuits. Colin earned his Masters degree from MIT and was awarded the Collegiate Inventors 

Award by the US Patent Office. He has also won numerous electrical and mechanical engineering 

competitions, including the International Design Competition. Colin was recognized by Technology 

Review Magazine as one of the top 100 innovators under the age of 35. 

Brian Warshawsky, VP of Operations/Founder 

Brian is an engineer and operations manager with experience in fast growth high volume consumer 

electronics manufacturing. Brian was an early member of the Apple iPod operations team, and was 

the operations lead for the development and introduction of the iPod mini. Brian went on to manage 

the introduction of a number of iPod products and manufacturing processes, and was responsible 

for evaluating and bringing up new production facilities in Taiwan, China, and Europe. Brian earned 

a M.S. from MIT in Materials Engineering, and worked at startups in Boston and San Francisco prior 

to joining Apple. 

• Men’s Journal, December Issue, “Gear of the Year”

• The San Francisco Chronicle

• BBC

• WIRED Magazine

• ABC News Online

• 60 Minutes

• Forbes.com

To stay in the loop on all the latest Potenco developments, sign up for our newsletter. (We promise not to spam you.)

Our travels took us to Khulna, Mongla and Dhaka where we tested prototypes with the locals and got feedback on how they could use the PCG in their lives.  As expected, there is a huge need for clean, renewable lighting.

Kerosene lamps and open flames were abundant as light sources.  The soot byproduct from these lamps permeated all areas of the houses that used them.The input we got from villagers was very positive and encouraging.  Most were pleasantly surprised by the amount of pulling required to create usable light.

With the communications infrastructure as it is, a great number of Bengladeshis have mobile phones.  The mobile coverage throughout most of the country is fantastic.  The average villager that owns a cell phone charges it from a 12 volt car battery, another task that the PCG is very well suited for.Overall our trip was a great success and we have gained more insight into the power needs of rural unelectrified areas.  The Bengladeshi people we met with were wonderfully helpful and eager to see our product made available.  We intend to take what we have learned from Bangladesh and incorporate it into our development process to make Potenco’s products as useful, powerful and organic as possible to fit the end users’ needs.

In the wake of One Laptop Per Child’s recently launched “Give One, Get One” program, some of you have wondered about the availability of our pull-cord generator (PCG). We are just as excited as you about OLPC’s initiative, and have been working hard to bring our reliable, renewable energy solution to those who lack access to electricity.  Currently, we are putting the finishing touches on the PCG’s design and getting it production ready.  You can keep tabs of our development by checking out our blog and signing up for our newsletter.  As soon as the PCG is ready to roll, we’ll let you know! If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us at info at potenco.com.

Potenco hit the ground running - or more accurately, pulling – at the 2007 WIRED NextFest in September.  The annual event, held this year at the Los Angeles Convention Center, features some of the world’s most exciting and innovative advances in technology.  And while there were plenty of break-dancing robots and head-scratching gizmos at NextFest, we were most excited about the many innovations in green technology.

Potenco was lucky enough to be among those featured in the Future of Green Pavilion, where we had the opportunity to show off our pull-cord generator (PCG).  Rather than simply telling people about the PCG, we wanted visitors to create power on the spot.  So we hooked up four generators and put folks to work.  From pint-sized school-children to muscle-bound adults, everyone was able to generate lasting, clean energy using the PCG.  Who knew creating power could be so much fun?  Over the course of the event, visitors blasted out a total of 210,788.8 Joules using only their own two hands and our yo-yo generator.  That’s enough to power 14,638 songs on an iPod Shuffle, five and half days of talk time on a cell phone, or more than a week straight of LED light.  And if we spent less time yapping with visitors and more time letting them pull the PCG, we could have produced even more energy. People seemed to love the PCG’s ergonomic design, durable casing, and massive power output.  But more importantly, people were giving us great ideas on what else we could power.  In fact, we were so blown away by their ideas that we want to keep it coming.  So… what would you power with the PCG?  Let us know at info@potenco.com. In the end, NextFest proved to be an exhilarating (albeit exhausting) chance for us to get in front of you, create some genuine People Power, and discuss the dynamic ways that you can power your world.  If you missed the event and want to learn more, be sure to sign up for our newsletter at www.potenco.com/contact-us. 

CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS – Potenco Inc. was selected as a featured exhibitor for this year’s WIRED NextFestTM, sponsored by WIRED Magazine. Billed as a new vision of the World’s Fair, WIRED NextFest features more than 160 of the world’s most innovative products and technologies. Potenco showcased its portable renewable energy generator as part of the WIRED NextFest’s “Future of Green” pavilion.

The Potenco pull-cord generator (PCG) currently serves as a power source for the One Laptop Per Child Foundation’s XO Laptop, but CEO and founder Colin Bulthaup has a larger goal in mind. “We see the PCG as a complete green energy solution for a broad range of portable electronics,” said Bulthaup, “From cell phones to lights to health care technologies, the PCG will play a critical role in delivering clean, sustainable energy to off-grid situations worldwide.”While Potenco’s sights are initially set on solving energy challenges in developing countries, WIRED NextFest provided a unique opportunity to introduce the product to the U.S. market as well.At this year’s WIRED Nextfest, Potenco gave the public its first hands-on opportunity to test and interact with the PCG. In addition to trying out some of Potenco’s newest hardware, visitors could see their power output instantly on display screens. Said Bulthaup, “We want people to see first-hand the revolutionary potential of human-based power.”WIRED Nextfest ran from September 14-16 at the Los Angeles Convention Center.