A graduating industrial design student at Leicester’s De Montfort University (DMU) is hoping for award-winning success with his innovative design which transforms falling wastewater into electricity.

DMU Industrial design student, Tom Broadbent’s money and energy-saving brainwave is called the HighDro Power and works by harnessing the energy from falling waste water in the soil pipes of high-rise buildings, converting it to electricity through an ingenious device.

As well as having developed a potentially commercially viable product, Tom is waiting to hear whether he will win accolades from the Institute of Engineering Designers (IED) and the Dyson Awards. He is also entering the Kevin McCloud Green Heroes award to win the opportunity to show HighDro Power at the NEC’s Grand Designs Live show.

The invention was developed in answer to targets set at the G8 Summit by governments to reduce their country’s carbon dioxide emissions and dependency on fossil fuels for energy production by 2050. In HighDro Power, the electricity can either be utilised in the building to save £926-per-year for a seven-storey building or sold back to the national grid on a buy-back tariff.

Tom, who is from Cropwell Butler, near Nottingham, said: “The inspiration for HighDro Power was literally a ‘Eureka!’ moment that came when I emptied a bath in a hotel and found that it cleared very quickly and with a large amount of force. It seemed logical that this energy should be harnessed in some way to create green electricity and help governments meet targets and it filled an obvious gap in the market.”

To make a working prototype of the design, Tom used rapid prototyping techniques – laser sintering and CNC milling machinery – as well as vacuum forming. He sourced bearings, gears and other materials from companies supplying standard components.

He added: “HighDro Power works by using the water discharged from appliances such as showers, toilets and sinks in high-rise apartments. The water goes down the pipe and hits four turbine blades that drive one generator.

“The whole thing was influenced by traditional waterwheels to ensure that any solids passing through had limited effects on whether they could function.”

In the future, Tom hopes to take his innovation to the next stage by having it fitted to a building for testing.

“I am currently a freelance designer but would love to work for James Dyson or a design team at a consultancy or company. My vision is to design products that actually benefit society in some way and get released on the market,” he said.

Dr Guy Bingham, DMU Senior Lecturer for the Faculty of Art and Design and programme leader for the Industrial design course within the University’s Faculty of Art and Design, said: “Tom's idea is truly an innovation in the area of energy micro-generation and the actual prototype is simply fantastic; I hope to see this go into production very soon. His work is a great example of what can be achieved from DMU’s design degrees.”

During his second year, Tom’s EarPill was shortlisted for the RNID’s national competition to redesign earplugs so that they were more attractive and ‘cool’ to wear in clubs and bars. He also spent a placement year with Vauxhall Motors Ltd in Ellesmere Port.

AS OF THIS WRITING, THERE ARE 793 BILLIONAIRES IN THE WORLD. While most are engaged in giving, a select few focus their philanthropy on environmental issues—climate change, renewable energy, the creation of green cities and species conservation. Here’s Worth’s ranking of the top 10 green billionaires, based on their impact.

 

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1 RICHARD BRANSON

(worth $2.5 billion)

THE VISIONARY

Billionaire CEO of the Virgin Group, Richard Branson devotes much of his time to his philanthropic arm, Virgin Unite, which includes an initiative dedicated to fighting CO2 emissions. In February Branson announced the Green Capital Global Challenge—a one-year, 10-city program to increase energy efficiency in the built environment.

RENEWABLE ENERGY

In 2006 Branson pledged all profits from Virgin Transportation for the next 10 years to developing green energy. In 2007 he launched the Virgin Green Fund to support renewable energy investments, and announced his $25 million prize for any technology that can safely remove carbon from the atmosphere.

LEGACY

Pledge from Virgin Transportation estimated at $3 billion

2 TED TURNER

(worth $1.9 billion)

THE CABLE MAN

Erstwhile media mogul Ted Turner first displayed his passion for environmental philanthropy with the establishment of his Turner Foundation in 1990, an organization committed to maintaining the planet’s natural resources.

CLEAN ENERGY & CONSERVATION

Turner has given to the UN Foundation, an advocate of clean energy, created a Nuclear Threat Initiative to reduce the global threat from nuclear, chemical and biological weapons, launched the Turner Endangered Species Fund to promote biodiversity and conservation, and created the Captain Planet Foundation— which includes the hit TBS show Captain Planet—to encourage children to become environmental stewards.

LEGACY

More than $1 billion to the UN Foundation

3 GEORGE SOROS

(worth $11 billion)

THE FINANCIER

Since the ’70s, Soros, the Hungarian-born hedge fund manager, has donated more than $7 billion to various philanthropic endeavors, and in recent years his attention has turned to environmentalism.

CLIMATE CHANGE

In 2009 Soros announced the foundation of his new global climate watchdog group, the Climate Policy Initiative, which he’ll fund to the tune of $100 million over the next 10 years. The San Francisco-based foundation will focus on policy "to protect the public interest against special interests.”

LEGACY

Pledged $1 billion at Copenhagen last year to develop clean energy sources

4 JEFF SKOLL

(worth $1.8 billion)

THE FILMMAKER

Former eBay president Jeff Skoll founded Participant Media, which produces socially conscious films and documentaries, often paired with social actions to encourage audiences to participate and make a difference. Credits include Al Gore’s An Inconvenient Truth, as well as Syriana, Food Inc. and The Cove, winner of this year’s Academy Award for best documentary.

SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS

Skoll has also handed out grants to 72 social entrepreneurs. Headquartered in Silicon Valley, the Skoll Foundation seeks to create a sustainable future through social entrepreneurship, with particular emphasis on climate change, water scarcity, pandemics and nuclear proliferation.

LEGACY

Grants to various social entrepreneurs totaling more than $40 million

5 ZHENGRONG SHI

(worth $1.1 billion)

THE SUN KING

Shi earned his PhD in Australia at the University of New South Wales’ School of Photovoltaic and Renewable Energy Engineering. Shi returned to China in 2001 to found Suntech Power, the largest manufacturer of photovoltaic cells for solar technology in the world.

SOLAR POWER

One of the richest men in China, Shi has donated considerable funds for renewable energy research to his alma mater. He also gifted a Suntech solar array to the Sydney Theatre Company’s new Wharf Theatre, led by creative directors Cate Blanchett and Andrew Upton. Using advanced crystalline silicon solar technologies, the project recently broke the world record for the highest conversion efficiency.

LEGACY

$2 million from the family foundation of Dr. Zhengrong and Vivienne Shi to help fund the “Greening the Wharf” project in Sydney

6 GORDON MOORE

(worth $2.6 billion)

THE INSIDE MAN

Silicon Valley billionaire and Intel co-founder Gordon Moore has given generously to the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, which has invested in environmental initiatives ranging from marine conservation to maintaining wild salmon ecosystems to preserving Andes- Amazon biodiversity.

BIODIVERSITY

In 2000 Moore donated half his Intel stock to the Moore Foundation to underwrite scientific research, environmental protection and promote the San Francisco Bay Area. The long-time environmentalist also donated $35 million to Conservation International to create the Center for Applied Biodiversity Science, a Washington-based think tank.

LEGACY

Estimated $5 billion worth of stock to the Moore Foundation

7 SERGEY BRIN & LARRY PAGE

(worth $12 billion)

DO-GOODERS

Google co-founders Page and Brin like to say that sustainability is good for people, profit and planet. Their corporate headquarters in Mountain View, Calif., is decked out with solar panels and the much-hyped Bloom Energy servers, providing up to 30 percent of peak energy demand.

RENEWABLE ENERGY

Google’s for-profit philanthropic arm, Google.org, promotes several sustainability initiatives. One of them, Recharge IT, aims to accelerate the commercialization of plug-in vehicles, while another, RE

LEGACY

Setting aside one percent of Google’s equity and yearly profits to philanthropy

8 MICHAEL DELL

(worth $12.3 billion)

COMPUTER CLEANER

Under the stewardship of Dell the entrepreneur, Dell the company overtook HP to become the number one green technology brand last year. With its recycling programs, energy efficient buildings, downsized packaging and publications printed on 50 percent recycled paper, Dell is raising the bar on corporate sustainability.

CARBON OFFSETTING

Chair of an in-house sustainability committee, Michael Dell has also made a personal commitment to the environment, matching donations to the company’s European “Plant a Tree for Me” program.

LEGACY

Conation matching for three months for Plant a Tree for Me carbon offsetting and more than $1 billion through the Michael & Susan Dell Foundation to support children living in urban poverty

9 MICHAEL BLOOMBERG

(worth $16 billion)

THE BILLIO-MAYOR

Media magnate and New York City mayor Bloomberg is renowned for his largesse. Bloomberg the politician parallels Bloomberg the philanthropist: In 2007 he vowed to make NYC environmentally sustainable by 2025. As buildings account for 80 percent of the city’s carbon emissions, greening them is top priority.

SUSTAINABILITY

In 2009 Bloomberg greenlit a $20million environmental efficiency makeover of the Empire State Building—all 6,500 windows of the iconic 102-story tower will be replaced with triple-glazed glass produced on site, which will result in energy savings of approximately 38 percent.

LEGACY

$235million in personal contributions to over 1,000 organizations promoting public health, education and the environment

10 BILL GATES

(worth $40 billion)

THE PROGRAMMER

Gates’ philanthropic focus can be measured by the kinds of insects he releases at the annual TED conference: Last year it was mosquitoes (to raise awareness about malaria); this year, fireflies, to demonstrate the need for “energy miracles” to combat climate change.

ENERGY & CLIMATE CHANGE

Gates is officially switching gears “from vaccines and seeds to energy and climate” to realize his goal of a fossil-fuel-free 2050.

LEGACY

$28 billion, much of it for global health and development, from The Bill &Melinda Gates Foundation

Wildlife and wetlands just got a big boost from Uncle Sam. Recently, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar announced that the Migratory Bird Conservation Commission has approved a total of $35.7 million for refuge acquisitions and wetlands grants for migratory birds. This is a big boon for wildlife and wetlands, which has lately taken a notoriously huge hit from British Petroleum in the Gulf of Mexico. The funds will cover over six million acres of wetlands and bird refuges across the United States and Canada.

Further, the grants will allocate $30.4 million in federal funding to assist more habitats in the United States and Canada under the North American Wetlands Conservation Act. And the other $5.3 million will go towards Federal Duck Stamp funds. According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, this will add more than 1,849 wetland acres to the National Wildlife Refuge System.

Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar is enthusiastic about the conservation effort. As he stated in a press release, “Besides providing habitat for fish, wildlife and plants, our nation’s wetlands provide vital storm protection for coastal areas, hold and slowly release flood waters, act as filters to cleanse water of impurities and provide recreation and wildlife viewing opportunities for millions of people.” Obviously, the need for “cleansing” has never been more necessary for wetlands in the Gulf Coast [than] now. But the money will also go towards acreage in 24 states from Maine to California.

The commission that approved this move includes Senators Thad Cochran of Mississippi and Blanche Lincoln of Arkansas, Representatives John Dingell of Michigan and Robert Wittman of Virginia, Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack and Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lisa P. Jackson. This commission also approved the acquisition of more wetlands to be placed under protection. The acquisition of these lands also came from monies raised by the sales of the Migratory Bird Hunting and Conservation Stamp, or the Federal Duck Stamp. 

Ninety-eight percent of the money spent on the Federal Duck Stamps goes towards purchasing habitat for protection in the National Wildlife Refuge System.

Areas procured include the Cache River National Wildlife Refuge in Arkansas, the Stone Lakes National Wildlife Refuge in California, the Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge in New Jersey, the Silvio O. Conte National Fish and Wildlife Refuge in New Hampshire, the Lower Hatchie National Wildlife Refuge in Tennessee, and the San Bernard National Wildlife Refuge in Texas. To date, the Federal Duck Stamp has purchased more than 5.3 million acres of wetlands from the more than $750 million raised.