With the world facing a shortage of conventional energy sources, which in most cases are either too expensive or highly polluting, inventors all over the globe have focused their attention onto sources that until now were never expected to be used to generate power. Though water has been used to generate electricity for a while now, recent developments have made generating electricity from this renewable source cheap and portable. Here is a list of 12 such chargers and devices that use nothing other than clean water to generate clean electricity:
• Eco-Electric water conservation meter generates electricity from water pressure:
This stylish and ergonomic device monitors the water consumption in your home on an hourly basis and will let you know after each hour if you have done well or badly. This not only helps you conserve water, but unlike many other devices that use conventional power to do the job, Eco-Electric generates its own power. Eco-Electric comes equipped with a built-in turbine that semi-filters the gray water in your home and uses its flow to produce energy.
• Aston Martin DBGT 2025 – Concept car to use water for power:
Designed by Brendan Woolsey, a student of Industrial Design at the University of Western Sydney, the Concept Car of 2025 would be powered by a tank full of water that is split into hydrogen and oxygen. The hydrogen is used as fuel for the car, leading to zero emissions.
• EcoLight – Water powered lighting system for your pool:
Designed by Lysandre Follet, the EcoLight is a concept pool lighting system that has a built-in water turbine that runs on the flow of water from the filter pump to generate electricity that powers up a set of LEDs integrated in the lighting system.
• Water powered street lights in Irish County:
Donegal County Council in Ireland is planning to use none other than water power to provide renewable energy for their streetlights. The system is based on a water turbine, which would harness water flowing downstream through these turbines.
• Bedol – Water powered alarm clock:
The Bedol Water-Powered Clock, with its stylish circular design and bright attractive colors, is an environmentally friendly product for everyday use. The Bedol Water-Powered Clock presents customers with a digital clock that eliminates the need for batteries. Bedol International Group has an eye for the latest in innovative products that gives a fun and edgy spin to traditional household and office items. Since the clock runs on water it allows you to do away with batteries.
• HydroWind – A portable water/wind powered generator for campers:
Designed by Ange Solomon, the HydroWind is a wind turbine that can also work in water, generating hydroelectricity. To accomplish these two tasks simultaneously, the charger has been made waterproof. The package contains a folding waterproof mill with a magnetic bobbin that generates electricity at 12 volts, which can be used to power small devices and small lighting systems.
• NoPoPo water-powered batteries:
NoPoPo batteries generate power from any liquid including water and urine. The liquid, acting as a catalyst, causes a reaction between magnesium and aluminum, thus generating much-needed power up to 500 milliamp-hours (mAh) of life.
• ECOLight shower cabin light runs on hydro power:
The ECOlight by Sylvania is a water-powered LED shower head. Designed to cater to a sustainable lifestyle, the light comes with temperature sensors. The LED glows blue for temperatures less than 78 degrees Fahrenheit and red for temperatures greater than 105.8 degrees Fahrenheit.
• POWA – Car washing system generates hydroelectricity for your plug-in electric car:
Designed by Vandenbussche, the POWA Water Generator is actually a small turbine that is placed in between the hosepipe. As water rushes through the pipe it turns the blades of the small turbine that then generate electricity which can directly be fed into the car, eventually cutting down your electricity bills.
• Water-powered calculator:
Human curiosity has led to the finding in which your very own calculator that solves your digging mathematical problems will run on nothing else but water. All you need is to store the water in the battery for 3 months, just like you do with your invertors, but here you don’t need to charge it with electricity. The cathode and anode rods will do the rest.
• Mini Hydro Turbine water powered gadget charger:
Designed by Jin Woohan, the Mini Hydro Turbine is a mini water turbine that uses water pressure to power up a turbine, which eventually generates enough electricity for you to power your cellphones or other portable electronic gear with. The electricity generated can either be used directly by connecting the turbine to a wall outlet or can be used to charge batteries for future use.
• TubeBot Self-powered autonomous robot to monitor leaks in water pipes:
Designed by Kaunsthochschule Berlin, the TubeBot is an autonomous robot that detects these breaches and that too without making use of even a single AA battery for the same. The system generates electricity from the pressure of water to power itself and keep it moving. The system ultrasonically scans the whole length of the piping system and sends the data to a remote location, where monitors get the exact location of the breach and dig up pipe only at that point to patch it up.
