The Play Pump – Harnessing the Energy of Kids

In the quest for plentiful and renewable energy sources, it was only a matter of time before someone tried to tap into the endless supply that children possess, and they’ve done it in a brilliant manner. Roundabout Outdoor, a not-for-profit organization based in South Africa, are the folks behind the Play Pump.

The Play Pump may appear like a normal roundabout or merry-go-round, but this one has got a fantastic added feature. It’s connected to a simple yet revolutionary borehole pump design, that’s capable of siphoning up to 1,400 liters of water per hour at 16 rpm from a 40 meter deep well. The water is then pumped into a 2,500-liter holding tank that sits 7 meters above the ground.

The water towers themselves have four side panels, two of which feature HIV/AIDS education messages and the other two panels are used for commercial advertising, the profits of which are used to pay for part of the construction costs of the water systems.

More than 700 of the Play Pumps have already been installed in South Africa, and Roundabout Outdoor is about to begin the installation of 100 more in Mozambique.

Here’s the link to the Roundabout Outdoor web site for more details on the Play Pump as well as a chance to donate to this innovative project.

[via sustainablog]