Harnessing any bit of water and power that comes through a place like Mexico City, or any number of other large cities around the world, could eventually be a revolutionary idea.
The parts of the world that lack for consistent electricity also, unfortunately, often lack for consistent clean water. Students at the Technological University of Mexico have come up with a simple system to at least partially address both needs using a microturbine and collected rainwater.
They named the device Pluvia, and tested it in a large, poverty-stricken part of Mexico City called Iztapalapa. Rainwater is collected by funneling it into a gutter on the rooftop, or by adding sheeting to simulate a slope.
The water passes through a filter, specifically designed to clean rainwater during the first two weeks of the rainy season, which has higher acidity and contaminants; that water is stored in a tank. A pump then helps the remaining water flow past the small turbine, which generates the electricity. . . .
