Read time: 5 minutes
Hi, I’m Javi Gascón.
This is Climate Tech Distillery, a newsletter where I talk about one specific climate tech company every week.
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Today we’ll distill a company that’s making revolutionary biochargers combining plants, microorganisms, and solar energy: Alinti 🇵🇪
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What Problem Does Alinti Tackle❓
They tackle several interconnected problems related to energy access and environmental impact. Here’s what I mean:
1. Lack of Electricity: Over 1 billion people worldwide do not have access to electricity in their homes. In Peru, 80.1% of rural areas lack electricity, and 2 million Peruvians rely on polluting sources like candles and querosene for lighting.
2. Environmental Pollution: Indoor and outdoor lighting and charging of small devices consumes billions of kWh of electricity per year, generating approximately 50+ million tons of CO2 annually.
3. Health Risks: Air pollution from traditional lighting sources like candles or gas leads to respiratory problems and other health issues. The use of fossil fuels for lighting in closed premises caused 7 million human deaths in 2019.
Product / Service 📦
That’s where Alinti’s biocharger comes in. A hybrid device that generates electricity through the combination of plant photosynthesis and microorganisms. They have created options for indoor and outdoor use.
Here’s how it works:
Plant roots release compounds when they metabolize.
Those compounds are broken down by microorganisms in Alinti's optimized substrate.
That process releases electrons which Alinti captures using a special polymer to convert into usable electricity from living plants. The polymer is the key.
Okay, so why is this so awesome?
Air Quality: One of the small pots alone avoids 80 kg of CO₂ per year, produces 13 days of oxygen for a person, and avoids all the toxic substances produced from lighting with candles, querosene, etc.
Sustainable Energy: 100% clean, biological energy, reducing reliance on fossil fuels and lowering CO2 emissions.
Multi-Functional: Alinti's solutions include various products that can be used to light public spaces, charge devices, and power household lamps.
Community Impact: For every 20 devices sold, one is donated to families without access to electricity, helping to bridge the energy gap in rural communities.
It’s basically a perfect solution for the millions of people in rural communities that currently rely on very polluting and unhealthy methods for illumination and charging.
Market 🌐
They operate in the very specific market of electricity for rural communities that don’t have access to modern electricity. It’s difficult to get specific numbers but there are millions of people in that situation. The tech can also be used for public lighting in bigger cities.
Other Key Players
The most common alternative right now for such communities are big solar panels but those tend to be expensive, hard to maintain and have dangerous batteries. Another cool alternative electricity production method is Turbulent’s 🇧🇪.
They make “vortex turbines” that work on very small rivers and do not disturb fish life. Great for small communities in remote areas.
Founding Story 🦄
Alinti was founded by Hernán Asto Cabezas, a young Peruvian engineer and inventor. Growing up, he didn’t have access to electricity until he was 14 years old, relying on candles that were harmful to his health. This personal experience motivated him to develop a solution.
His initial prototype, "Sutiali," was created in 2016 and later evolved into the "Alinti" project. The name "Alinti" combines "Ali" (plant in Aymara) and "Inti" (sun in Quechua), reflecting the technology's core principles.
The company operates in Peru and Colombia and has funding and partnerships with Meta, NTT Data, and many universities. Hernán’s vision is clear: provide clean, natural, and accessible lighting to both rural and urban areas, bridging the gap for communities without electricity.
Top Impact Stats 📈
Their public lighting has already avoided 20+ tonnes of CO2 per year.
They’ve helped 4000+ families and avoided 550+ tonnes of CO2.
Their devices have already increased school attendance by 20% and decreased respiratory diseases by over 30%.
Whenever you’re ready, there are 2 ways I can help you:
Scale and optimize your climate business: I build low-code automation systems for climate companies so they can free up time to scale their revenues and their climate impact.
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