philips is field-testing a healthier and more efficient wood-burning stove for the developing world. it works by forcing air into the combustion chamber with an electric fan, making it burn hotter and a third more efficiently while producing less of the toxic smoke responsible for as many as 1.6 million deaths a year (one tenth the indoor pollution and one hundredth the VOCs). it also aims to reduce deforestation and the time and energy spent to gather fuel every day. the wood-stove relies on a rechargeable battery, though, so it remains to be seen how people who have no electricity can take advantage of it. one hopes that it is more than a PR move, and that this is a sign that the market for improving the lives of poor people can be considered important enough to develop new technologies for.
