About
The Odisha (formerly Orissa) Project started in 2003 and was completed in 2011. We partnered up with the local community Badakamandara and directly benefitted 750 members of the community with this project.
Project Overview
The project included the design and installation of a biodiesel- or vegetable oil-fired generator system to provide electricity for several villages in Odisha.
During this implementation, we installed a 7.5 kVA generator modified to burn vegetable oil, a solar drier, a decorticator, a manual oil press, a rice huller, a spice grinder, and a screw oil expeller. All equipment was installed in a newly constructed building. With the notable exception of the manual oil press, all equipment was worked as expected upon leaving the village. A very basic level of training was provided to members of the oversight committee on all equipment through translators. Additional training provided by Oriya speakers at AID-Orissa was completed while monitoring the project. The oversight committee was selected by the village to include members from various occupations, economic statuses and genders. The system is expected to produce large quantities of processed spices and rice with minimal cost. An efficient oil expeller/press still under development by AIDOrissa will hopefully make the project even more profitable in the long term.
Implementation was completed after the September 2005 trip. It is likely that the project was closed shortly after this as the Implementation Report states that there are no future plans of action (except to keep in touch with community and NGO to monitor progress).
Last updated:
Engineers Without Borders - UIUC 