Rainergy - Electricity from Rain | Fusion - WeRIndia

Heavy rain is usually bad news for electricity. It comes with billowing winds and dangerous lightning, both of which can cause serious damage to power sources. However, the rainwater itself has massive potential for electricity, if it is tapped the right way.

A 15-year-old girl from Azerbaijan, Reyhan Jamalova, has invented a smart device that successfully harvests the energy from raindrops to be converted into electric power. The idea to generate energy from rain came to her when she was in 9th grade.

Her father had wondered, if electric power can be made from wind, why can’t it be made from rain? Jamalova thought about this question, and she paired up with her friend, Zahra Gasimzade, to find out the answer. The two girls worked together to build a device that could harvest energy from rainwater.

Soon, the device Rainergy was born. Jamalova and Gasimzade were assisted by their physics tutors during four months of designing and calculations. Azerbaijan’s government provided them with $20,000 worth of seed money.

In its completed form, Rainergy is a four-part device that is 9 meters tall. Its four main parts are a rainwater collector, an electric generator, a water tank, and a battery. The water tank fills up with the help of the rainwater collector.

Once the tank is full, the rainwater can flow through the generator at a high speed. This process generates electricity. The electricity is stored in the battery. This electricity can then be used for household purposes.

Thanks to its excellent battery storage, Rainergy is even efficient when there is no rain. It is also extremely environmentally friendly. During electricity production, it only emits about 10 g/kwh of CO2.

This is a very low amount compared to what is emitted during the production of other alternative forms of energy.

Jamalova’s device has received quite a bit of attention from countries that receive heavy rainfall and also have poor communities without access to electricity.

This includes Malaysia, Indonesia, India, and the Philippines.

Thanks to Jamalova’s innovative new way to produce energy, many people can have access to electricity who never could before.

Image Reference: TheBetterIndia