Waterlight, The Light Powered By Water

ph. E-Dina Waterlight

UPDATE 2024 The team faced challenges in securing full funding for the production line but continues to work toward bringing the product to market. The new version of WaterLight is expected to be more powerful and feature a refreshed, modern design.

Off-grid communities live autonomously, without relying on public utilities for electricity, gas, sewage systems, or internet access, and many still exist today. Some people have voluntarily chosen to move away from cities and the services they provide, while others belong to indigenous groups that have inhabited remote areas for centuries, far from trade routes. These communities, sometimes with little or no access to technology, must find increasingly effective solutions to adapt to climate change. WaterLight is one such solution: a portable lamp that converts salt water into electricity. It offers a more reliable alternative to solar lamps, whose efficiency depends heavily on weather conditions.

Designed in Colombia by the local start-up E-Dina in collaboration with the Colombian branch of the creative agency Wunderman Thompson, WaterLight provides instant energy as soon as it is filled with water. The portable device can be filled with 500 milliliters of seawater – or even urine in emergency situations – to emit up to 45 hours of light. Acting as a mini power generator, WaterLight can also be used to charge a mobile phone or other small devices via its integrated USB port. The device works 24 hours a day through ionization, where electrolytes in the saline liquid react with magnesium and copper plates on the interior of the lamp to produce electricity. Although this process has existed for a long time, E-Dina has developed and patented a method to sustain the chemical reaction over an extended period, making it suitable for powering a light source.

Over its lifetime, a single lamp can provide approximately 5,600 hours of energy, equivalent to two to three years of use depending on frequency of operation. The lamp features a cylindrical case made of Urapán wood, with an electrical circuit integrated into its base and a perforated cap that allows water to enter while enabling the hydrogen gas generated during ionization to escape safely. Once the salt particles have settled, the lamp can be emptied and refilled, and the used water can then be repurposed for washing or cleaning.

This version of the lamp was designed specifically for the Wayúu people, an Indigenous community living at the northernmost tip of South America, where Colombia meets Venezuela. For centuries, the Wayúu have inhabited the remote desert landscape of the Guajira Peninsula. Although geographically isolated, the region is surrounded by the Caribbean Sea, providing an abundant natural resource to power WaterLight.

Wunderman Thompson worked to incorporate the community’s rich cultural heritage into the lamp’s design, featuring traditional symbols and patterns carved into the wooden casing, as well as colourful carrying straps woven by local craftswomen using techniques that date back to pre-colonial times.

At the end of its lifespan, Wunderman Thompson states that the lamp can be fully recycled. The long-term goal is to develop a simplified, mass-produced version of WaterLight to help supply electricity to the approximately 840 million people worldwide who currently live without access to power. The team expects the design to be particularly beneficial in countries such as Syria, Sierra Leone, and Somalia, where access to comprehensive power infrastructure remains limited despite direct access to coastlines.