Energy [R]evolution: a watershed moment in India

Designing such a pump is difficult. But it is not impossible.

consegna entro il 15 novembre 2013

Greenpeace lancia un concorso per selezionare il miglior progetto di pompa da irrigazione a energia solare destinata alle piccole fattorie indiane. Al vincitore un premio di 30mila euro.

Designing such a pump is difficult. But it is not impossible.

 In India, almost 10 million diesel-powered irrigation pumps have allowed small farmers to water their crops year round, to feed their families and wring a modest living from their small plots of land. But diesel, as most fossil fuels today, has become a liability. Its price rises every year, making it ever harder to pay for irrigation.

Pumps powered by clean renewable energy, such as solar pumps, could solve both the economic and environmental dilemma: they don't emit greenhouse gases, and their fuel is free.

But renewable-powered pumps have remained a marginal technology. There is currently no such pump available on the market that is tailored specifically to the needs of the Indian small farmer, with an unsubsidized price low enough to compete with the diesel pumps and be adopted widely. Besides being powered by clean energy, such a pump should meet the following requirements to be successful:

  • Portable (theft prevention, use by water merchants, and easy transport for sale in local markets)
  • Robust and locally serviceable
  • Cheap enough to amortize within a year when compared to a diesel pump+fuel+maintenance
  • Sufficient pumping performance to water a typical small plot

Greenpeace are calling designers, tinkerers, inventors, students of all fields - anyone who is interested and feels they can contribute something useful - from all over the world, to join forces in this challenge.

Working with other great people like you to make this world a better place rocks, but in addition participants stand the chance of winning prizes with a total value of more than 30,000 Euros (in cash, prizes and contracts).

more info http://greenpeacechallenge.jovoto.com/

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