What is the name of your organization?
Open Source Low Tech
What is the name of your solution?
The $50 Water Turbine
Provide a one-line summary or tagline for your solution.
A low-cost, open-source siphon action pico water turbine for off-grid electricity generation, water pumping, and sustainable energy access.
In what city, town, or region is your solution team headquartered?
Melbourne VIC, Australia
In what country is your solution team headquartered?
Australia
What type of organization is your solution team?
Not registered as any organization
Film your elevator pitch.
What specific problem are you solving?
Access to reliable, affordable electricity remains a major challenge for millions of off-grid and rural communities worldwide. Over 750 million people lack electricity, and 2.4 billion rely on polluting, inefficient energy sources like kerosene and diesel (IEA, 2022). Even where electricity is available, high costs and infrastructure limitations restrict access to sustainable power. Traditional hydroelectric systems require significant capital, complex installations, and specific geographic conditions, making them inaccessible to many.
This disproportionately affects remote, low-income communities, limiting education, healthcare, and economic opportunities while contributing to climate change through carbon emissions from fossil fuel use. Additionally, many rural areas lack the energy infrastructure to power essential needs like irrigation, refrigeration, and small-scale manufacturing.
What is your solution?
Our solution is a siphon-action pico water turbine, an ultra-low-cost, off-grid hydropower generator that produces 200W+ of electricity using a 3m water drop and 20-30 liters per second of flow. It is designed for rural, remote, and off-grid communities, providing a simple and scalable way to harness renewable energy for household and agricultural use.
The turbine works by using water momentum rather than traditional high-pressure hydro systems. Water is directed through a PVC pipe assembly into a hoverboard motor alternator, where an impeller spins to generate electricity. The system is entirely made from low-cost, off-the-shelf materials such as PVC piping, a repurposed hoverboard wheel, and a computer fan. It can be built in 1-2 days with basic tools, making it highly accessible, modular, and easy to maintain.
Unlike conventional hydro systems, our design requires no damming, excavation, or expensive infrastructure, making it suitable for small streams, irrigation channels, and natural watercourses. This open-source technology can also power water and air pumps for irrigation, cooling, and aeration.
Who does your solution serve, and in what ways will the solution impact their lives?
Our solution serves off-grid, low-income, and rural communities that lack reliable access to electricity. This includes smallholder farmers, remote villages, Indigenous communities, and disaster-prone regions where conventional energy infrastructure is unavailable or too expensive. Many of these communities rely on kerosene, diesel generators, or biomass, which are costly, polluting, and unsustainable.
By providing a low-cost, DIY hydropower solution, our turbine enables these communities to generate their own electricity for lighting, phone charging, irrigation pumps, refrigeration, and small-scale manufacturing—all critical for education, healthcare, food security, and economic development. Unlike solar panels, which depend on sunlight, this turbine provides continuous power, day and night.
For smallholder farmers, the turbine can power irrigation systems, improving crop yields and food security. For off-grid households, it replaces expensive and polluting fuels, reducing energy costs and health risks from indoor air pollution. Additionally, its simple design and open-source availability empower local communities to build, repair, and adapt the system themselves, fostering energy independence and resilience.
This solution is especially impactful for climate-vulnerable regions, providing sustainable, decentralized power that strengthens communities against energy insecurity and economic hardship.
