Hot Water + Pet bottle = Electricity ?

What if you were given a jar of boiling hot water and a waste pet bottle and asked to cool the water in the bottle; would that be easy?

Now let’s alter the problem statement here.

What if you were given a jar of boiling hot water and a waste pet bottle and asked to generate electricity; now would that be easy?

A group of designers from Nairobi, Kenya have done just that! With just one cup of boiling water, the Bottle Charger can power a cell phone in just 15 to 30 minutes, depending on the temperature around the device. The device was created with those living off the grid in underdeveloped countries in mind.

HOW IT WORKS

The Bottle Charger uses the presence and absence of heat (hot water) for the expansion and contraction of a fluid (air) within the plastic bottle to exert pressure on the B.U.C.T. (Blackbeard Unidirectional Constant Turbine) Module to create electricity.

The Bottle Charger creates electricity as long as you have a cup of hot water that is around 70 °C or higher. This enables you to charge your microelectronics-based devices (mp3 players, GPS units, digital cameras, smartphones etc.) for 15-30 minutes depending on certain conditions e.g. winter, summer, indoors or outdoors.

The Bottle Charger various components can be dismantled for easier transportation including, the long aluminium twin pipe embedded with heat sink fins all around. They can then be easily assembled together when needed. The Bottle Charger is a simple, yet versatile and highly portable power solution. Only hot water (70 °C and above) is required for the magic to happen.