Humans have always made use of the treasures of nature. With the development of the first tools, they only took as much as they needed at the moment. Meanwhile, the consumption of materials is excessive and highly developed technologies are helping us. Habitats for plants, animals and people are in danger. Many have already been irrevocably destroyed. A fundamental question in the relationship between nature, technology and humans is: How much can humans take from nature without harming it?
The hope pump is designed to encourage reflection. It enables a playful examination of the topics of “renewable energies” and “water supply”.
The system consists of a flexible combination of planters, a small water reservoir, a small wind turbine and an irrigation system that is powered by wind power. The hope pump allows various components to be combined with one another and tried out in practice.
The system was built with conventional hand tools at the height of the corona crisis. The system is easy to replicate (construction plans) and can be further developed in order to gain your own experience. We have tried to use environmentally friendly building materials whenever possible. We did not succeed in doing this, because in the end we also used materials that do not deserve an “environmentally friendly” seal, but nevertheless: It is a start and a stimulus.
Technical Details
- Total height of the system: 3,10m
- Base, Plant container:
- Diameter: 800mm
- Height: 1000mm
- Weight (without water): 440kg
- Watertank:
- Built into the base (under the potting compost)
- Volume: 60 L
- Rotor:
- Savonius-Rotor, Resistance Rotor
- Diameter: 800mm
- Height: 600mm
- Generator:
- Bicycle hub dynamo
- Electrical Power: < 5 W
- Data acquisition via Arduino:
- Rotational Speed
- Voltage
- Electricity
- Current planting of vegetation:
- Nasturtium
- Flame nettle