Interested in applying the open source software development model and tools to sustainable design.
I would like to hear from folks that have worked in third-world countries to find out what the biggest opportunities are. In the meantime, water purification seems like a good place to start. I found this link to a [water purification system designed by a team at University of Massachusetts Lowell]. I think we could get permission (if necessary) to use this design as a starting point. The paper says "With an estimated one billion people in the world lacking clean water, this design may be useful for water purification in a variety of remote settings." The system uses solar power so that it can operate off the grid and it serves a village of 250 people.
The system should be easy and inexpensive to build and maintain. The U Mass system includes some purchased or donated components. Perhaps some of those components could be redesigned so that they could be fabricated locally or at a lower cost. The "open source" design would include a bill of materials, drawings, and instructions necessary to build the system. For the items not available locally (e.g. photovoltaic modules), perhaps someone could manufacture a kit. There could be various options to meet the needs of different regions or depending on availability of parts. If there are well defined interfaces between the different components of the system, each component can be improved independently.
I am an electrical engineer so I can help with some of the electronics. There are some inexpensive ways to manufacture printed circuit boards in small quantities.
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