This project breathes new life into an old piece of technology, the water wheel.

The water wheels which will be produced and demonstrated will have new, higher efficiency gearing systems which have been developed by hydraulic engineers. This means that even in very slow flowing rivers and canals these water wheels will be able to generate electricity, drive machinery, and pump water.

The project activities will include designing, testing, and marketing eight high efficiency water wheels, designed to operate optimally in a range of environments and which will suit the needs of remote populations in the Peruvian sierra, coast and forest.

The basic designs will be easy to reproduce locally in poor areas and will be simple to maintain and install.

The prototype models will provide power to approximately 100 families. Local enterprises will be created to market and distribute the water wheels. Eventually these small local enterprises, with the support of NGOs and training colleges, will market the water wheels on a wider basis, throughout Latin America.

About the award winner:
Miguel Hadzich Marin is an Engineer at the Innovation and Development Centre at the Pontifical Catholic University of Peru (CIDE-PUCP). CIDE-PUCP is devoted to encouraging the creation and development of enterprises which work with the University to produce added value goods and services.