- green-spots
- energy
- Colombia
- Power From Seawater, Colombia
Problems
Limited access to electricity
The world needs a clean energy revolution because billions of people do not have access to electricity. Global energy demand is expected to increase substantially in the next few decades. The Wayuu people of northern Colombia, who live in small rural villages called rancherias near the Venezuelan border and rely on fishing and artisan crafting for survival, have little access to electricity—like an estimated 759 million people worldwide. Many of these coastal communities inspired a starting point for a sustainable solution: seawater.
Solutions
New way to generate power using seawater
Author: Deezen
Colombian renewable energy start-up E-Dina has developed a cordless light that converts salt water into electricity as a more reliable alternative to solar lamps in off-grid communities. The portable device, WaterLight, must be filled with 500 millilitres of seawater – or urine in emergencies – to emit up to 45 days of light. The mini power generator can charge a mobile phone or another small device via its integrated USB port. Created in collaboration with the Colombian division of creative agency Wunderman Thompson, the project was designed as a stand-in for solar energy, which is often used to supply remote locations but is weather-dependent. WaterLight works 24 hours a day through ionization, which sees electrolytes in the saline liquid react with magnesium and copper plates on the lamp's interior to produce electricity. At its early stages, the cost ranges from $60-$100 per light, versus solar lights that cost multiple times less. Although this is a long-established process, E-Dina has developed a way to sustain the chemical reaction over a prolonged period so that it can be used to power a light source. One light can provide around 5,600 hours of energy, equating to two to three years of use, depending on how often it is needed. The light has a cylindrical case made of Urapán wood with a circuit integrated into its base and a perforated cap on top that allows water to flow into the device. At the same time, the hydrogen gas created during the ionization process can escape. After the salt particles have evaporated, the lamp can be emptied and refilled, while the used water can be repurposed for washing or cleaning. WaterLight will help workers who work at night in off-electric grid locations, as well as children who study at night or craftspeople that craft in the dark, to fulfil their orders. In the meantime, E-Dina is working on a Kickstarter campaign to help scale the operations and make the manufacturing process more industrial.
Source: https://www.dezeen.com/2021/04/23/waterlight-edina-wunderman-thompson-colombia/
Gallery
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Timelines
2022
E-Dina and Wunderman Thompson Colombia turned to the Wayúu tribe, an indigenous community living along the Colombia and Venezuela border, to test the devices using them on boats to make it possible to fish at night.
2021
In collaboration with Wunderman Thompson Colombia, E-Dina developed WaterLight, a device that can transform half a liter of salt water into 45 days of light. This device is made from recyclable material and has an expected lifetime of around 5,600 hours.
2016
The Water Light project was born and consists of a specially designed electronic circuit that manages to extend the transfer of ions from a saline medium to convert them into valuable and immediate energy. The electrodes of the salt bridge make it possible to drain energy from the salt water (a known process), but with the electronic circuit, it is possible to extract around 500 watts for each liter of water.
2015
A1KW prototype was developed, with which the PCT Patent Application for a cogenerator motor was presented called UPS DYNAMIC COGENERATOR, which has as a peculiarity the delivery of energy in a regulated and sustainable way, driven by its inertia thanks to the use of Neodymium magnets. This patent was approved and had the Colombia and European Community phases in force.
2000
E-Dina developed its first self-sustaining spinning prototype that produces a surplus of 0.5 watts. During the next 15 years, several other prototypes were developed, managing to increase surpluses in a staggered manner