Renewable Energy

The two most popular renewable energy sources used today are wind and solar power.

The major advantages of using renewable energy are the following:

• Wind and solar energy do not produce waste and/or pollution
• Wind and solar energy are free
• Practical solution for locations that do not have an infrastructure providing an energy source
• Low maintenance

Aguayuda strives to be environmentally responsible. Where applicable, we will use wind and/or solar energy to run the water purification systems.

Wind Energy
Due to advances in materials used for the blades and cost-reduction on the electronic components, wind has become the most inexpensive source of renewable energy today. The basic concept of the wind energy is as follows:

• Via two aerodynamic forces (lift and drag) the wind rotates the blades which turns the rotor
• The rotor turns the shaft
• The shaft is connected to a gearbox which increases the rotational shaft speed
• The output shaft is connected to a generator which converts the rotational movement into electricity
• The electricity flows through cables from the tower to a transformer or deep-cycle batteries depending on the situation

Solar Energy
Solar energy is becoming more and more popular due to falling equipment prices. Though solar energy has a relatively high start-up cost, the low-maintenance and basic installation make it an optimal solution for many different situations. The basic concept of solar energy is as follows:

• The sun's rays hit the solar panel and are absorbed by semi-conducting materials (silicone for example)
• Electrons are knocked loose from their atoms, which allow them to flow through the material to produce electricity
• The electricity in the solar panel is DC (direct current) electricity that can be used for any DC device
• Often the DC electricity is stored in deep-cycle batteries which provide energy when there is no sun
• For AC (alternating current) devices, the DC electricity is directed through an inverter, which turns the DC electricity into AC electricity