How to Build an Open-Source, Non-Profit Creating Hardware and Software for Climate
summary
An open-source nonprofit builds and ships a CO2 monitoring kit that uses an ESP32-S3 microcontroller, MicroPython, an NDIR CO2 sensor, GPS, and InfluxDB-backed cloud dashboards, with fleet management via Golioth and a low‑power cellular protocol. Kits cost about $150 per sensor, the project reports roughly 600 deployed with 25–50 actively online, and reference comparisons with Lawrence Berkeley and a Wind River tower validate calibration work. Design moves toward recycled 3D‑printed enclosures and future solar power to reduce downtime.
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chapters (19)
- 0:00Building open-source climate nonprofit
- 2:08Aerospace to climate open source
- 6:23Greenhouse gas measurement gap
- 9:55Prototyping low-cost sensors
- 12:41Nonprofit legal setup
- 15:32Master plan tasks
- 18:25Redesigning sensor for scale
- 22:14Corporate partnerships funding
- 24:45Educational outreach universities
- 27:57Expanding beyond a kitchen-based operation
- 30:233 years open-source climate
- 31:07Q&A: Sensor density validation
- 32:53Q&A: Sensor deployment growth
- 34:58Q&A: Open hardware data goals
- 36:25Q&A: Serendipity in nonprofit
- 37:49Q&A: Powering sensors locations
- 39:05Q&A: Strategic deployment sites
- 40:30Q&A: Sensor accuracy calibration
- 41:37Q&A: Multi-sensor multi-gas plans
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