Commercial availability of 6-8 kW/8-10 HP Stirling Engine for Irrigation

OVERVIEW

The International Rescue Committee (IRC), the Seeker for this Wazoku Crowd Challenge, is seeking commercially viable Stirling Engines capable of operating at medium temperature differentials from sand battery heat sources, to be purchasable at a unit cost not exceeding US$4,000.

This challenge targets a use case for the agricultural sector in Northeast Syria, focusing on replacing diesel engines with sustainable solar-powered alternatives.

Despite previous attempts to source suitable engines, the existing solutions identified so far have not met the operational and economic requirements. Therefore, the IRC is now seeking to identify potential vendors who can either provide directly suitable engines or adapt existing designs to align with the unique specifications needed for scalable implementation in the region.

The successful implementation of this project holds the promise of significantly reducing energy costs and environmental impact for Syrian farmers.

This is a Scouting Challenge seeking a partner or supplier to provide systems or expertise to solve IRCs business challenge; the Solver is invited to submit a written proposal to be evaluated by the IRC with the goal of collaboration. There is the opportunity to win a recognition award of $5,000 for addressing this final step for the IRC by meeting the solution requirements.

Submissions to this Challenge must be received by 11:59 PM (US Eastern Time) on March 3rd, 2025.

Please review the later Participation Guidance section before submitting a proposal.

- Login or register your interest to start solving and scouting!

ABOUT THE SEEKER & ELIGIBILITY

The International Rescue Committee (IRC) is a global humanitarian aid, relief, and development nongovernmental organization. Working in more than 40 countries and over 20 U.S. cities, the IRC helps those affected by humanitarian crises to survive, recover, and rebuild their lives.

THE CHALLENGE

Background

The IRC has identified a crucial need to reduce fossil fuel dependency for irrigation systems in Northeast Syria. In this region, wheat farmers face significant challenges due to the scarcity of diesel fuel, which has been a primary energy source for powering irrigation pumps.

Solar-powered heat engines have been proposed to power submersible pumps that draw water from deep wells for agricultural irrigation.

A potential solution of great interest involves using a Stirling Engine powered by a 'sand battery.' The sand battery collects and stores solar energy, which is then used to generate the heat needed for the Stirling Engine to operate. The Stirling Engine, working with a specified temperature differential, can convert the solar heat into usable mechanical energy, effectively powering the irrigation pumps without relying on fossil fuels. Early assessments suggested that this could provide a cost-effective and ecologically sustainable alternative.

Despite the theoretical potential, finding a commercially available Stirling Engine that meets the project's specifications has been challenging.

This Challenge is our final call to identify potential vendors who can either provide directly suitable engines or adapt existing designs to meet these unique requirements.

The Challenge

The IRC is seeking to identify commercially available Stirling Engines capable of producing 8-10 HP (6-8 kW) specifically designed to function at a hot side temperature of around 300-400°C with a cold side temperature ranging from 20-40°C. This is intended for use in pumping systems, replacing the dependency on diesel by utilizing heat stored in sand batteries.

The desired Stirling Engines should be purchasable at a unit cost not exceeding US$4,000, with initial volume orders placed in quantities of 10 units designated for shipment to Irbil, Iraq.

If commercial options are unavailable, Solvers are encouraged to identify potential bespoke designs with the scope to engage quality machine shops that could fabricate prototypes within budgetary constraints and practical timelines.

Potential vendors who have been previously consulted presented solutions that either did not meet the temperature requirements or were not within economic viability.

SOLUTION REQUIREMENTS

Must Have:

1. Commercial availability of 6-8 kW/8-10 HP Stirling Engines suitable for the specified temperature range (hot side: 300-400°C, cold side: 20-40°C)
2. Purchase price should not exceed US$4,000 per unit when ordered in batches of 10 or more units
3. Engine designs should facilitate pumping operations under established agricultural requirements (2-5 bars pressure at surface level)
4. Technological adaptability to integrate with sand battery heat supply and requirement alignment for operational field tests

Alternative Approach:

1. Possibility to engage or contract bespoke machine shops with a design you find
2. It is possible that you have a design for a Stirling Engine that would meet our requirements but it is not generally available on a commercial basis 
3. If a Solver finds a design like this, please share the drawings around to get binding quotations from quality machine shops, for prototype fabrication 
4. At the right price, the IRC might be willing to commission the fabrication of a few units for test purposes if the economics appear to make a unit price of under US$4,000 be possible for a quantity of 50 units
    

Things to Avoid:

The IRC is only interested in proposals that use Stirling Engines as the solution. 

The IRC has already engaged with a selection of vendors that advised they were unable to supply a Stirling Engine for our use case, typically offering engines that work with higher 'hot' temperatures than we need.

There were also cases of misuse of the Stirling Engine term, or potential availability not being viable during the next couple of years.

Please avoid submitting proposals constrained in any of these ways.

Solutions with Technology Readiness Levels (TRLs) 6-9 are invited.

This Scouting Challenge has the following features:

1. The IRC will evaluate your submission to determine their interest to team up with you for further business and collaboration discussions, and to determine if the requirements have been met for a recognition award payment.
2. Any proposed solution should provide the IRC "freedom to practice” or be available for potential licensing, there should be no third party patents or patent applications preventing the use of the proposed solution in commercial applications.

YOUR SUBMISSION

Please login and register your interest, to complete the submission form.

The submitted proposals must be written in English and can include:

1. Participation type – you will first be asked to inform us how you are participating in this challenge, as a Solver (Individual) or Solver (Organization).
2. Solution Stage - the Technology Readiness Level (TRL) of your proposal.
3. Solution Overview - detail the features of your proposal and how they address the SOLUTION REQUIREMENTS (500 words, there is space to add more in the summary field, and attach supporting data, diagrams, etc).
4. Solution Feasibility – Supporting Information and Rationale, such as references and precedents, that will help IRC validate the feasibility of the solution (up to 500 words).
5. Experience - Expertise, use cases and skills you or your organization have in relation to your proposal (up to 500 words).
6. Solution Risks - any risks you see with your solution and how you would plan for this (up to 500 words).
7. Timeline, capability and costs - describe what you think is required to deliver the solution, estimated time and cost (up to 500 words).
8. Online References - provide links to any publications, articles or press releases of relevance (up to 500 words).

PARTICIPATION GUIDANCE

1. Submission Close Date: Submissions to this Challenge must be received by 11:59 PM (US Eastern Time) on March 3rd, 2025.
2. Late submissions: Late submissions will not be considered.
3. Multiple submissions, 3 Maximum: In case of multiple submissions by the same Solver, only 3 submissions – the final 3 submitted – will be considered. Any other submissions will be deleted prior to evaluation.
4. Submission form and attachments: Your submission will be evaluated by the evaluation team first reviewing the information and content you have submitted at the submission form, with attachments used as additional context to your form submission. Submissions relying solely on attachments will receive less attention from the evaluation team.
5. Evaluation notification steps: After the Challenge submission close date, the IRC will complete the review process and make a decision with regards to the winning solution(s) according to the timeline in the Challenge header. All Solvers who submit a proposal will be notified about the status of their submissions.
6. Use of AI: Please note that any submissions produced solely with generative AI are not of interest.
7. Learn more: Find out more about participation in Wazoku Crowd Challenges.