Reinventing the Waterwheel

In the foothills of the Himalayas, a group of villagers hauled a sturdy metal waterwheel into place. Its horizontal blades soon caught the rushing water of the stream directly below it. The machine began to spin, and electricity began to flow.

A waterwheel installed in rural Nepal. Photograph: Michael Erhart

The roughly 2-metre-tall waterwheel, installed in a village in Kashmir, India, was the result of years of design work and development by researchers at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) and partners.

“You have this continuous power flow,” said Michael Erhart, the chair of renewable and sustainable energy systems at TUM. “It’s not intermittent like the radiation of the sun or wind power.”

Waterwheels have been around for thousands of years. Formerly used to drive mechanical processes such as milling or hammering, they were a crucial component in the industrial revolution. Today, waterwheels connected to generators can produce zero-carbon electricity as they spin.

An Archimedes screw-style waterwheel was installed along the River Wandle in London in 2012. The 8.5kW system generates enough electricity to power 18 homes.

Some experts argue that greater adoption of electricity-generating waterwheels could help to decarbonise energy systems. For the Kashmiri villagers, their new waterwheel offered energy independence. It was installed alongside other renewable energy resources, including a microgrid, between 2022 and 2024.

Erhart’s colleagues had previously supported the deployment of a similar waterwheel in Nepal, as well as a demonstration prototype in Tegernsee, southern Germany.

The waterwheel in Tegernsee. Photograph: Michael Erhart

Before the new waterwheel arrived, the community in Kashmir had to rely on a centralised electricity grid that often let them down. “They had power cuts of weeks or even months,” said Erhart. The renewable energy kit meant the village could now survive off-grid.

The climate crisis and bouts of extreme weather are putting additional strain on power grids in India and Nepal. Decentralised microgrids connected to a mix of renewables including solar and waterwheel devices could, in theory, help remote communities to become energy self-sufficient.

The generating capacity of such wheels ranges from about 300W to 1kW, according to Erhart, depending on the flow of water. During flooding, it is possible to set up the wheel so that torrents of water can bypass it, meaning electricity generation may continue uninterrupted.

Erhart’s instructions for building the waterwheel are freely available online. The cost of assembling one could come to as little as $1,000 (£819), he estimated.

Separately, another kind of electricity-generating waterwheel was set up in Northern Ireland recently. The historic waterwheel attached to an old mill in Co Fermanagh was fully restored and now provides electricity to a restaurant within the building.

The Tully Mill restaurant’s waterwheel outputs roughly 1.5kW, according to Patrick Drumm, group treasurer of the Killesher Community Development Association. The wheel powers about 10 strong outdoor lights at the restaurant, though Drumm added that the cost of installing the system was significant at about £49,000. The project was made possible thanks to funding from the National Lottery.

It would be advantageous to use waterwheels even more widely, said Gerald Müller at the University of Southampton. Müller said a handful of companies in Germany currently restore or build waterwheels for electricity generation. “I was talking to the owner of one [of those companies] the other day and he was saying his books are pretty much full for the next three years – interest has increased because of the rise in electricity prices,” he added.

Müller’s research indicates that the efficiency of waterwheels, in terms of converting water power into electricity, can be as high as about 85%, .

One possible downside of waterwheels is the risk they might pose to aquatic life. However, research indicates they have a minimal impact on fish, for example.

Müller said that besides supplying private homes and buildings such as restaurants or hotels, waterwheels could also power pumps designed to move water up hills and irrigate fields on mountainsides.

Source: The Guardian

Human Settlements dep’t issues challenge to build resilient communities

The Human Settlements department has invited the private sector to collaborate with the government in building communities that are resilient in the face of climate change and natural disasters.

Undersecretary Henry L. Yap of the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD), in a keynote speech at a forum organized by BusinessWorld, said “all stakeholders” need to work to create resilient communities.

“To achieve our goal, we need a united front. The realization of an inclusive, resilient, and sustainable human settlements entails coordination and support from all stakeholders, as well as significant funding and investment,” Mr. Yap said at the BusinessWorld Insights Forum, “Building Sustainable and Inclusive Communities for the Future” in Makati City.

“We are inviting the private sector partners, business people and leaders, development partners, and our local government units to partner with us in building a better Philippines,” he added.

Urban planner and Palafox Architecture Group, Inc. President Felino A. Palafox, Jr. said the Philippines needs to have 100 new “sustainable, resilient, and smarter” cities by 2050 to house a population projected to grow to over 150 million.

“By 2050, it is forecast that the Philippines will be the 16th largest economy in the world. There will be 150 million Filipinos by 2050, of which 70% will be urban population. We need 100 new cities by 2050. Otherwise, our existing cities will be as bad, if not worse, than Metro Manila today,” he said.

“We need strong political will with visionary leadership, urban design, and excellent management,” he added.

Ramon Rivero, Robinsons Land Corp. head of corporate planning, strategy, and sustainability, said that sustainable real estate development is an imperative rather than an option.

“Our cities are expanding at a fast rate and with this growth comes the need for more housing, commercial space, and infrastructure. However, this growth must not come at the expense of our environment,” Mr. Rivero said.

“We have to make sustainability very easy for our people, be it in the form of incentives or form of education. It has to be an easy option. You have to design it in a way that is easy and accessible for them to implement,” he added.

TruNorth Homes Founder and Chief Executive Officer Earl Forlales said that sustainable infrastructure and solutions should be more accessible to promote broader adoption by consumers.

“There is no use for a well-planned sustainable community if people cannot afford to live in it. If we’re able to infuse sustainable features and still make it affordable, that would make a sustainable community,” he said.

“Sustainable infrastructure has to be affordable to the regular consumer. The more that we can make sustainable solutions more affordable, behavioral change will naturally follow on the consumer level without forcing it,” he added.

Yvonne Flores, Gokongwei Group head of sustainability and corporate social responsibility, said inclusive urban planning should be approached systemically.

“It is looking at the overall system and implementing solutions systemically,” she said.

“Resilience is an existential must for all of us. We must make sure that the vulnerable within our communities are included in the solutions we’re looking at. It’s about looking those who are vulnerable and ensuring that because we are part of the community, even the vulnerable are protected and included in the solutions that we are looking at,” she added.

Aboitiz Infracapital Economic Estates Vice-President Jolan Formalejo said that committing to sustainable urban development should be the guiding principle in planning inclusive communities.

“With this comes making sure that inclusivity is integrated. The solution is to decongest these cities by providing new regional areas,” he said.

“Once we start in the regions, we have the full opportunity to make a difference,” he added.

BusinessWorld Executive-Vice President Lucien C. Dy Tioco said sustainable cities and communities remain a challenge for the Philippines.

“In an era marked by rapid urbanization and unprecedented global challenges, the need to make our cities and communities inclusive, sustainable, and resilient has never been more critical,” he said.

“Even the effects of recent Typhoon Carina and the southwest monsoon in Metro Manila and Luzon alarm us once again of how crucial it is to make our communities not just ready for disasters but capable of mitigating their impacts to avoid casualties,” he added.

Source: Business World

Significant strides in sustainable development

Sustainable development is an approach that takes into account the well-being of both current and future generations, ensuring that the needs of the present are met without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. Given the challenges faced today, such as climate change, depletion of natural resources and social inequality, sustainable development has emerged as a crucial framework for building a more resilient and equitable future.

The United Nations (UN) adopted 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in 2015, addressing critical areas of importance by 2030: people, planet, prosperity, peace, and partnership. These goals inform projects and policies across various organizations, including guidelines on housing, urban development, transportation systems, and healthcare delivery.

In the Philippines, sustainable development has been a major concern, given the country’s vulnerability to natural disasters and its rapidly growing population. Over the years, the Philippines has been grappling with issues related to poverty, environmental degradation and social inequality, among other things. Fortunately, the government and other stakeholders have been working to ensure that the development is not at the expense of the environment and that economic growth is inclusive and will benefit all Filipinos.

According to the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA), the country is committed to achieving the SDGs by 2030 and has been working on localizing the goals, setting subnational targets, and recalibrating 2030 targets on key SDG indicators. The Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) is also monitoring the country’s efforts to generate data for the 230 unique indicators and 169 targets of the 17 SDGs.

In 2022, Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique A. Manalo has underscored the country’s commitment, presenting the third Voluntary National Review (VNR) of the Philippines on the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development at the High Level Political Forum for Sustainable Development (HLPF).

Furthermore, the UN and the Philippine government have also recently signed a new partnership framework, the UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework, which spans from 2024 to 2028. This framework aims to mobilize global knowledge, capacities, and resources to support the Philippines in addressing its major national priorities, including human capital development, sustainable and inclusive economic development, and climate action for environmental sustainability and disaster resilience.

While the government plays a crucial role in implementing policies and regulations that promote sustainability, other players such as the private sector also has a significant contribution to make.

One of the ways in which the private sector is promoting sustainable development is by incorporating environmentally friendly practices in their operations. This includes reducing their carbon footprint by using renewable energy sources, implementing waste management systems, and adopting sustainable supply chain practices. By doing so, they reduce their impact on the environment, conserve natural resources, and contribute to a cleaner and healthier planet.

Moreover, the private sector can also have a significant impact on local communities by creating job opportunities, promoting economic growth, and investing in social development programs. This not only helps to improve the quality of life for people but also contributes to the overall sustainable development of society.

Environmental stewardship

As the world population continues to grow, the demand for resources increases, putting a strain on the planet’s ecosystems. In recent years, there has been a growing awareness of the importance of sustainable development and the need to protect the environment for future generations. Governments, businesses, and communities in the Philippines are taking action to reduce their environmental impact and promote sustainable practices.

Leading corporations in the Philippines are increasingly embracing corporate social responsibility (CSR) as a key component of their business strategy. Many companies are allocating resources towards sustainable development projects that contribute to environmental conservation. These initiatives include reforestation programs, waste reduction projects, and renewable energy investments.

Another significant effort towards environmental conservation is the use of renewable energy sources. Solar, wind, and hydropower are emerging as sustainable alternatives to conventional fossil fuels, presenting a compelling solution to mitigate the impacts of climate change. In fact, the Department of Energy has existing renewable energy policies to encourage private domestic and foreign investment to drive growth in the industry and reduce dependence on expensive energy imports.

For instance, the National Renewable Energy Program (NREP) outlines the policy framework enshrined in Republic Act 9513, which sets the strategic building blocks that will help the country achieve the goals set forth in the Renewable Energy Act of 2008.

Meanwhile, efficient waste management is also fundamental to environmental sustainability, as the improper disposal of waste poses severe threats to ecosystems, human health, and the overall well-being of the planet.

According to Environment and Natural Resources Secretary Maria Antonia Yulo-Loyzaga, the country generates approximately 61,000 million metric tons of waste daily, with 24% of it being plastic waste. As a result, the government has been enacting pro-environment programs and initiatives, such as the 3R (reduce, reuse, recycle) approach, renewable energy promotion, and biodiversity conservation, to address these challenges.

Waste reduction initiatives include reducing packaging waste, promoting reusable products, and encouraging composting. Sustainable waste disposal practices include landfill gas capture, waste-to-energy technologies, and hazardous waste disposal.

Social inclusivity

The country strongly supports the idea of attaining a just, equitable, and inclusive society for all, emphasizing the importance of people-centered sustainable development with the active engagement of all stakeholders.

The government has taken a comprehensive approach to implementing the SDGs, with actions grounded in laws that ensure coordination across sectors through institutional mechanisms.

Several specific initiatives have been undertaken to promote social inclusivity, such as institutionalizing the Alternative Learning System for quality education, incentivizing green jobs, and promoting inclusive business models for decent work. Additionally, the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) provides cash transfers to low-income families, promoting financial inclusion and poverty reduction.

Meanwhile, access to quality healthcare is a fundamental right, and the Philippines has been working towards ensuring healthcare inclusivity. A notable example is the Universal Health Care Law, which aims to provide affordable and accessible healthcare services to all Filipinos, regardless of their socioeconomic status.

The private sector has also implemented various programs to promote inclusive economic growth. For instance, microfinance initiatives, entrepreneurship programs, and livelihood projects have targeted marginalized groups, empowering them to become active contributors to the economy.

Source: Business World