Integration of a Sustainable Water Kiosk with a Repurposed Solar Power Management Technology

In the rapidly growing urban regions across Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) population growth is outpacing the installation of adequate supporting water infrastructure. This infrastructure gap has precipitated a huge reliance on single-use bottled water in these communities. In the city of Nairobi, 90% of people rely on bottled water sources on a regular basis.

This reliance is creating a large economic and environmental burden. Bottled water is highly expensive, with an average worker in Kenya spending 15% of their income on it. It is also polluting, specifically, bottled water sources are 1000X more carbon intensive than tap water sources and only 90% of single-use plastic bottles are recycled.

To tackle this, Majicom, a UK-based social enterprise, has created a novel solar water kiosk, designed with and for urban communities across Sub-Saharan Africa. The technology efficiently stores, purifies, and dispenses affordable and sustainable clean water through the utilization of solar energy.

In order for the kiosk to be deployed, a solar power management system must be integrated, one that ensures effective storage and efficient utilisation of solar energy in various weather conditions. However, solar power systems (specifically batteries) are often associated with e-waste - of which over 90% is left unrecycled in regions across Sub-Saharan Africa.

This project will focus on combining the Majicom water kiosk with a solar power management system that utilises re-purposed lithium ion batteries (LIBS) processed from local e-waste sources in Kenya through a collaboration with INNO-NEAT.

The integrated kiosk will then undergo rigorous testing at the two largest Kenyan universities , assessing water purification performance and engineering integrity across various weather conditions. The project's culmination will see the kiosk certified for use, initiating a demonstrauton pilot program at the universities, granting students convenient access to clean and affordable drinking water on their campus.