$10 device could bring electricity to millions

A company formed by a group of students is developing a device that can generate electricity from everyday tasks.

Gen-ergy’s ‘portable energy harvesting solution’ is designed to bring a stable source of power to the 1.2 billion people worldwide who don’t have access to a stable source of electricity. 

To connect these people to the grid would cost in the region of $665bn, and at the moment they often generate heat and light by burning kerosene, which is bad for both their health and the planet’s. 

As part of a student competition at the Global Grand Challenges Summit in Washington, D.C. today, a group from the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology showcased a device which can be attached to tools of manual labour to generate power. 

It consists of a solenoid, which generates electricity via a magnet that oscillates when the device moves. 

By attaching it to a tool such as a hoe or a shovel and using it as they normally would, subsistence farmers with no access to electricity can generate enough 2400mAH of power from six to eight hours of work. That’s enough to power a standard Nokia smartphone for 32 hours. 

The device is currently being trialled amongst subsistence farmers, who earn around $11 a month, in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. India has 240m with no access to electricity - more than any other country on earth.

It’s hoped that the device will eventually retail at $10-$15, opening up accessible electricity to millions of people. 

The Hong Kong University team were one of fifteen student groups pitching their ideas as part of a competition on the first day of the Global Grand Challenges Summit. 

In 2008, engineering academies from the UK, USA and China identified 14 ‘grand challenges’ for engineers to tackle, and each group demonstrated how their work would help to a group of judges, who will award a $25,000 prize to the best presentation. 

Another presentation which caught our eye was ‘Dream House,’ by a group from Shanghai University. They revealed that of the 62.7 trillion kwH of electricity consumed by buildings annually, 50 per cent went to air conditioning. 

Their innovation is glass coated with vanadium dioxide which allows windows to be used as natural air conditioning units. This coating deflects infrared when it’s hot, keeping rooms cool, but allows it to pass through when the temperature is colder. The group claimed this could reduce overall electricity consumption by 15%. 

Professional Engineering will be in Washington D.C. all week covering the Global Grand Challenges Summit. Keep an eye on our website and Twitter for the latest.