Bringing Energy to All: Facing Energy Poverty

Dr. Karla Graciela Cedano Villavicencio holds a Doctor in Engineering and Applied Sciences. Her research focuses on: Social Demand of Energy; Sustainability and Innovation; and Gender and Energy. She is member of the Academia de Ciencias Sociales y Humanidades del Estado de Morelos; the International Women’s Forum; and Voz Experta. She is Head of Innovation and Futures Lab, Head of the Department of Strategic Innovation and president of the Internal Commission for Gender Equality at Instituto de Energías Renovables UNAM. 

Lucas Nascimento is a researcher at the Solar Energy Research Laboratory (Fotovoltaica-UFSC) at the Federal University of Santa Catarina, Brazil (www.fotovoltaica.ufsc.br). With over 20 years of experience in the field of solar photovoltaic energy, Lucas holds a Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, a Master's and Ph.D. in the area of solar energy, and a Postdoctoral fellowship focused on the technical and economic assessment of PV and energy storage systems in isolated regions.

Lucas has actively contributed to renewable energy projects aimed at addressing energy poverty in isolated communities, collaborating with national organizations such as the Ministry of Science and Technology (MCTI) and the Energy Research Company (EPE); development banks such as the World Bank and the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB); and bilateral institutions such as the German Corporation for International Cooperation (GIZ) and the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS). His work has focused on designing, implementing, and optimizing solar photovoltaic systems integrated with energy storage to replace diesel generators in remote areas.

Lucas has also led capacity-building initiatives, training hundreds of educators and technicians to develop regional competencies in renewable energy systems. His research and projects emphasize the transformative potential of solar energy in improving living conditions and fostering sustainable development in underserved communities.

Alan Bigelow, Ph.D. joined Solar Cookers International (SCI) in 2016.  He is SCI's Program and Science Director, and his roles span SCI’s focal areas in research, advocacy, and strengthening the capacity for solar cooking.  Alan leads SCI’s Performance Evaluation Process (PEP) solar cooker testing program, which aligns with international standards and methods for measuring cookstove performance.  He is SCI’s representative to the technical committee developing methods for clean cookstoves at the International Organization for Standardization (ISO).  With SCI colleagues, he co-authored peer-reviewed publications about SCI’s PEP methods for measuring standard cooking power and efficiency for solar cookers.  

Additionally, Alan spearheads SCI advocacy efforts at the United Nations climate change conferences (COPs) and at high-level events such as the United Nations High-Level Political Forum (HLPF) and the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW).  Alan also drives SCI’s ongoing collaborative solar cooking initiative at Kakuma Refugee Camp, Kenya, and led SCI’s consultancy role for a solar-thermal technology (cooking and solar drying) initiative in Yemen to improve resilience and livelihoods. He also oversees SCI best practices in monitoring and evaluation to collect evidence-based results during program implementation and follow-up. Prior to joining SCI, Alan had a 15-year physics research career at Columbia University Medical Center developing innovative technology for radiation-biology studies. He has authored numerous peer-reviewed journal articles and is listed as an inventor on patents for safe sterilization methods that use a specific range of ultraviolet light, far-UVC light, to selectively damage bacteria and viruses while not harming human cells.

Alan received a Ph.D. in Physics in 2000. He is a Climate Reality Leader trained by former Vice President Al Gore. Alan’s expertise includes designing and using off-grid solar photovoltaic systems. He is an accomplished musician and co-founded a solar-powered, eco-rock band that combined science and music to raise awareness and educate about environmental issues and solutions. His passion for solar cooking has taken him as far as Nepal, where he joined a nine-day high-altitude solar expedition in which all meals were prepared using portable solar cookers. He designed solar-energy workshops as a Scientist-in-Residence at the Hudson River Museum and introduced solar cooking to students through a course on sustainable engineering he designed and taught at Columbia University’s Science Honors Program.

Alan’s passion for solar cooking stems from his background in physics, his international upbringing, and his deep concerns for the welfare of our shared planet and all cohabiting it.  He enjoys solar cooking vegetables from his organic garden, as a farm-to-solar cooker-to-table sustainable living practice, and using solar ovens as solar dryers to preserve home-grown tomatoes and Thai hot chili peppers.  At SCI, he values teamwork and collaboration and how SCI’s mission dovetails with his personal convictions about solar cooking and his drive to further the global solar cooking movement.