Tree-like Street Light

Tree-like Street lights are inspired by the mechanism of the forest. We aim to create an forest-like city which human live peacefully with nature and challenge more SDG.

When flood happens, storm water will be collected through the funnel-shaped street light and the drain channel under the street light. After the water enters the concrete drain underneath the street light, rubbish, oil, grease, and debris will be trapped in the catch basin that contains the drain insert. The water from catch basin will flow through the micro-hydro turbine to generate electricity. The street light has a solar panel on it to generate electricity to light up the street at night. The water collected from the street light will later flow to the small sewage treatment system to be purified. The purified water is used to provide continuous water to micro-hydro turbines to generate electricity and be drunk by residents. Only clean recycled water will be supplied to the resident. The excess water will be directed to other water treatment plant, rivers, ponds, sea and underground while for the excess electricity will be store in fuel cell battery.

For normal days, we still improving the system to generate electricity by adding thermoelectric generator in the road that take the temperature differences of the road and the water channel under the street light and adding Pelton wheel turbine with storage.

We try to solve increasing global energy demand  that will increase by a third through 2040, mainly due to increased consumption in transportation in China, India, and parts of Asia. According to the 2019 Annual Energy Outlook, global GDP growth from 2017 to 2040 with the expectation of an average of 3.4%. 

As the demand for water increases, the availability of water decreases due to diminishing resources. we also try to solve floods and storms that concerning human losses account for 18% and 39% of disaster-related deaths from 1970 to 2019, respectively. In terms of economic losses, 54% were associated with storms, while different types of floods account for 31%. 

By 2050, many more countries will face less availability of surface water resources therefore water scarcity also one of the problem we try to solve. In 2050, that number will increase from 42 to 95% or 2.7 to 3.2 billion people. 2.2 billion humans presently do not have the right of entry to securely controlled ingesting water, and 4.2 billion, or 55% of the global population, are without thoroughly supervised sanitation. As Earth’s climate has warmed, there is a sustained rise in the numbers of floods and storms due to discharged greenhouse gases emission. Climate change has affected the obtainability, standard, and amount of water needed to meet human necessities.

Our solution aim to serve those who live in flood prone area. In this link, it shows that many places facing flood frequently from last year until 2022 including Malaysia, Brazil, Turkey, Indonesia and Malawi. Currently based on Ways for Philippines to tackle flood and survey in internet, we found out that most countries choose to improve urban drainage, improve flood forecasting and early warning systems and community-based flood risk management, improve institutional arrangements for better flood management and redirecting excess water to purpose-built canals or floodway. However, our solution try to use this flood disaster to creating electricity and provide water sources for clean water sanitization. When flood happens, some places will have no water supply due to old water pump be blocked by debris and tree branches and water supply be contaminated by bacteria or contaminant present in flood. We also hope we can use excess water from the flood to create electricity and store it for afterward uses. Therefore our solution aim to supply water supply and electricity to the residents in the same time control the flood by redirecting the water to water storage system, river, ponds, sea and water treatment plants. By achieving zero flood, providing water supply and electricity supply, we believe our solution can help to tackle the effect of climate change.

According to link, it state 2021 has been a year of climate shocks, including serious flooding in Europe, Asia and America. US$1trn estimated flood damages worldwide since 1980, only 12% of which were insured and 181% increase in annual average reported flood events since 1980. Moreover, 2.2bn people live in locations expected to experience inundation during a one-in-a-hundred year flood event and 25 new countries could be added to the 32 already experiencing increasing floods by 2030 as a result of climate and demographic change. The rain began falling across Europe on July 12. The storm started over the United Kingdom and swept east across France, Belgium, the Netherlands, and then Germany. There it stalled for two days. During the pause, more than 20 centimeters (7.9 inches) of rain fell in east Belgium and 15 centimeters – a month’s worth – in 24 hours in the west of Germany. Not long after, heavy flooding hit central China with the city of Zhengzhou, then, at the end of August, Hurricane Ida made landfall in Louisiana, USA, before traveling north, where its remnants caused record flooding on the north-east coast of the country. While based on link , extreme flooding happens in many countries such as Malaysia, Philippines, Iraq, Republic of the Congo, South Sudan and many more. When a flood happens, it usually destroys things and causes death; injuries; loss of infrastructure; damage to businesses, crops, fisheries, livestock, and properties; and diseases. 

In this stage, I just have come out with the idea and planning to do prototype. I still having discussion with my supervisor and having meeting with professor from other field to improve the product. However, I am taking this product to attend more competitions. Along the competitions, I will take opinion and advices from judges and people other field to improve it. At the same time, I am trying to take as more awards as I can to make the product recognizable. I also trying to apply copyright for this product. Until now, This product has won 4 awards which is Gold Award and Special Award in SICEX USM, Gold Award in The 6th International Invention Innovation Competition in Canada, iCAN 2021, Silver Award in I2CreaTe 2021 and Third Place in Youthopeian The Envirothon 2021.

This system will use the existing technology to power it. Solar panel will be use on the top of the street light while there will be a Pelton turbine cooperate with a mechanical valve that will open after the water storage in the street light has reached to set weight. The system will have thermoelectric generator be set on the road under the street light to generate electricity from the temperature differences of the road and the water system below the street light. The system will also have swage treatment system, UV radiation and reverse osmosis system to purify the black and grey water to be reuse. There will also have micro hydro turbine that located under the street light to generate electricity. A hydroponic planting system will be located on the street light for increasing urban greening.  Referring to ancient city Ganzhou, located in a low-lying basin, a door set inside the wall gate, named “water window” will be inserted on the exit of the pipe to nearby rivers. When the river level is high, the water window automatically closes due to river pressure while when the river level is low, the water window will open due to water flow. The trapped water in the system cannot be emptied into the river once the river level is high and the water window is closed thus ponds and lakes will be used to collect and store trapped water at such periods.

I plan to serve a new construction community that live in flood prone such as 100 houses or 150 houses or shoplet street in Malaysia next year. Estimation of around 60000 people will live in a community of Malaysia. I also think about implement the system in a factory or a office building that serves about million of people.

I hope this solution can help an area to prevent flood and try to make this hazard into something useful to human and also the environment. I wish this solution will be like tree that not just have one uses but bring a lot of benefit to environment and human. This solution still have long way to go but I will use my semester break and days usefully to create and improve the product. I wish I can finish doing prototype and improving it and then successfully getting any opportunity to cooperate with company, constructor or even entrepreneur. I will keep on participate more competitions and challenge in the same time to increase the visibility of the product and let the product be recognized.

I plan to measure my goal from the list of indicators associated with UN Sustainable Development Goals which are Goal  6  Clean Water and Sanitation, Goal 7 - Affordable and Clean Energy, Goal 11 - Sustainable Cities and Communities, Goal 12 - Responsible Consumption and Production and Goal 13 - Climate Action.

For now, we have not come out with any prototype to prove it works. We also face the difficulties like the system is not efficient during daily day as the amount of electricity be produced will be less at first. However, we believe our system will improve its effectiveness day by day after participating more and more competitions and listening the advice from Professor in the same time doing experiment and modification. We estimate we will also meet no market when trying to promote our product after we successfully be recognized by more and more institutions and agency.

My first teammate help me in coming out idea when participating SICEX USM 2021 while my friend call Chan Ning Feng will team up with me in the most of the competition. He will support and help me to paraphrase my essay as well. My next other 2 teammate from marketing and managing courses team up with me to attend Swiss Innovation Challenge ASEAN 2021/22. They give me many advice on how to market this product and calculate the financial requirement of to build the product and they taught me how to be a leader along the competition. We still a team to challenge the second pitch of the competition. Recently, I just team up with another 2 person I just knew in Schneider Go Green 2022 with Ning Feng to use this 2 products to participate. One of the teammate from electrical and electronic engineering give me suggestions and help me improve the product as well. 

My supervisor is the first person encourage and support me to take this product in more competition. We are still discussing how to do the prototype and slowly improve it. He also lead me to apply copyright of this product. We are still working on it but please give me some time, we will make the prototype out as he already take this project as my final year project. He always there to give me suggestions and help when I need especially introducing me to Winter Seminar that held by Kyoto University. 

Until now, I have not partner with other organizations except asking advice and supervise with professors from different field in University of Science Malaysia.