Clean water with clean energy. Drinking water provision in remote regions with decentralised solar power supply

Objective

The main objectives are as follows:
* To get an overview on the situation of drinking water provision in rural regions of Latin America.
* To get an overview on the one hand on water treatment technologies applied in rural regions of Latin America and on the other hand on commercially available devices for decentralised drinking water purification.
* To make suggestions for sustainable water management in rural villages in Latin America.
* To set up design guidelines for decentralised drinking water purification systems powered by solar energy.
* To couple treatment devices for decentralised drinking water provision to photovoltaic systems and to develop by this way stand-alone water purification systems.
* To install two water purification systems powered by solar photovoltaics in two pilot-villages, one in the province of San Juan, Argentina, and the other one in the State of Mexico, Mexico.
* To disseminate the experience gained in the project.
Expected Outcome

The work carried out in this project together with the World Health Organisation WHO as external partner should provide suggestions how to improve drinking water provision and therefore how to improve living conditions and health of people settling in rural areas of Latin America. Recommendations for design, implementation and operation of solar powered water purification systems will help to achieve this goal.
The key activities envisaged are:
* Assessment of situation of water pollution, needs of water and needs of drinking water purification together with the legal background in rural regions of Latin America.
* Isolation of typical problems regarding the water provision in rural Latin America.
* Elaboration of a catalogue of applicable purification technologies and available devices.
* Laboratory- and field tests of promising drinking water purification devices.
* Analysis of the water management in different villages in Argentina and Mexico from a socio-technical point of view.
* Elaboration of general design guidelines for solar powered water purification devices.
* Development of at least two water purification systems operated by solar photovoltaics.
* Implementation of two drinking water purification systems in two villages in Argentina and Mexico. Important steps: selection of pilot-villages, preparation of the villages, installation and evaluation.
* Elaboration and realisation of three seminars in Latin America for the dissemination of the projects results.

Programme(s)

• FP4-INCO - Specific research, technological development and demonstration programme in the field of cooperation with third countries and international organizations, 1994-1998

Topic(s)

• 03010102 - Basic natural resources

Funding Scheme

CSC - Cost-sharing contracts

Coordinator

FRAUNHOFER GESELLSCHAFT ZUR FORDERUNG DER ANGEWANDTEN FORSCHUNG E.V.*

Address

Heidenhofstrasse 2
79110 Freiburg (In Breisgau)
Germany

Participants (5)

Instituto Nacional de Tecnologia Agropecuaria

Argentina

Address

1439,1439
5427 Villa Aberastain

Instituto de Investigaciones Eléctricas

Mexico

Address

113,Avenida Reforma 113
62490 Moleros

Red Iberoamericana de ElectrificacionRural

Mexico

Address

113,Avenida Reforma 113
62490 Morelos

UNIVERSIDAD POLITECNICA DE MADRID

Spain

Address

Ciudad Universitaria - Etsi Telecomunicacion
28040 Madrid

Universidad Autonoma del Estado de Mexico

Mexico

Address

S/n,cerro De Coatepec S/n
50121 Toluca