Solar-powered toilet heads to India Toilet Fair
Kohler Co and Caltech’s joint development of a photovoltaic toilet, part of the Reinvent the Toilet Challenge, has reached the next milestone in its two-year collaborative journey.
To coincide with World Water Day (March 22) the two completed units were shipped to India, first to be displayed at the Delhi Reinvent the Toilet Fair and then to be installed and tested in India.
The development of these next-generation toilets was in response to the 2011 Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation challenge to develop a toilet capable of delivering safe and sustainable sanitation to the 2.5 billion people worldwide who are currently denied this basic necessity. Each toilet is powered by solar panels and features a self-contained water purification and disinfection system that allows water to be reused and does not require wastewater disposal.
Every aspect of the toilet, from the carefully specified plumbing products inside to the colourful décor on the exterior, was chosen (with input from Kohler Co’s Indian team) to best assimilate the Indian culture. This is to ensure fast and easy acceptance of the new technology by the Indian community.
We’ll keep you up to speed with the next milestone on this journey in conjunction with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.