“URECA, a climate technology startup from Mongolia, is facilitating the transition of ger (yurt) residents from polluting coal power plants to solar energy. The project has received support from the Star Venture program of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD),” reports bne IntelliNews.
Ulaanbaatar, where ger residents use coal for heating, has become one of the most polluted cities in the world. According to EBRD data published on February 10 in a press release about the support for the URECA pilot project, each household emits between 12 to 13 tons of carbon dioxide per year.
As noted by the EBRD, the URECA startup has reached a stage that allows it to scale its efforts to combat climate change.
“We thought, ‘If large renewable energy companies can generate carbon credits, why can’t residents of traditional Mongolian gers, transitioning from coal to solar energy, do the same?’” said URECA co-founder Orchlon Enkhzetsgeg.
Co-founders Orchlon Enkhzetsgeg, Amar Baatartzogt, and Önorbat Erdenemunk believe that the fight against climate change should start with those who are most affected, although it should generally be conducted from the top down, according to EBRD data.
By 2025, URECA plans to reach nearly 200 households, and by 2030, more than 100,000. This will allow for a reduction of carbon dioxide emissions by 1.3 million tons per year and significantly improve air quality in Ulaanbaatar, which sometimes leads to serious consequences.
After two years of testing, URECA has created a deployable system that allows coal-using households to transition to renewable energy sources while financing this transition.
Orchlon emphasized that cost is a key factor, so the team focused on creating affordable and reliable technology, conducting research and development of both hardware and software independently.
URECA's infrastructure includes “low-cost and high-quality devices,” such as solar panels, inverters, and heaters, which are integrated with monitoring and reporting technologies, including IoT sensors and artificial intelligence, to track energy consumption in real time.
These systems allow URECA to insulate gers, install solar panels and batteries, as well as apply smart sensors to monitor air quality and other parameters every five minutes to control coal usage.
The reduction in carbon dioxide emissions is recorded and monetized through the URECA platform. Thus, families can finance their transition to renewable energy sources using carbon credits generated independently, according to the EBRD.
URECA's technology turns each household into a small virtual power plant that can be monitored and managed.
“Homes can operate in synchronization with the power grid, minimizing load during peak hours and remaining self-sufficient during times of grid stress,” the statement added.
translation: MiddleAsanNews
