Bringing electricity to the most isolated communities in the world by exploiting a clean, renewable and respectful energy. This is Alintthe invention of Hernán Asto Cabezas, a young Peruvian engineer, who has been able to transform a simple but brilliant intuition into a concrete and functioning technology. A project born for those who live in the dark and that has already changed their lives to hundreds of families.
Thanks to this idea, Hernán Asto won the Global eawards 2024 of the NTT Data Foundation, a prize that recognizes not only the value of technological innovation, but also its social impact. But what makes Alinti so special?
When nature becomes a source of energy
Alinti is nothing more than one bioelectric cellbut its operation is far from trivial. This technology uses the natural processes of the photosynthesis and gods microorganisms present in the soil to generate electricity. In practice, plants release organic compounds during photosynthesis, and these are decomposed by soil microorganisms, producing electrons. Thanks to a technological system designed ad hoc, electrons are transformed into usable energy.
The result? A device capable of producing up to 12 watts of energy per dayenough to power an LED lamp for a whole day or to recharge two smartphones. A solution as simple as it is effective, which can be installed wherever there are plants and soil, without the need for fossil fuels or complex infrastructures.
Alinti’s main objective is that of offer energy to the most isolated and without access to electricity communitiesbringing light where until yesterday there was only darkness.
To understand the importance of Alinti, a few numbers are enough. 770 million people In the world they still live without access to electricity, many of which are found in rural and remote areas. In Latin America, we talk about beyond 30 million people in this situation.
Hernán Asto knows these realities well. Originally from Ayacuchoa mountainous region of Peru, lived firsthand the difficulties of those who are forced to do without an essential resource such as electricity. And it is precisely from this experience that the idea of Alinti was born.
Today, the device has already been installed in addition 300 Peruvian familiesoffering them the opportunity to turn on a lamp, recharge a phone or carry out daily activities that until yesterday seemed impossible.
But the project does not stop there. Thanks to the prize of Global eawards 2024which includes 100,000 euros And an acceleration program to further develop the project, Hernán aims to expand Alinti in other Latin America countries. The stated goal is reach at least 10,000 families by 2025an ambitious milestone but within the reach of a simple, economic and sustainable technology.
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A model replicable also in Italy?
This invention does not only concern Peru. Also in Italy there are internal areas, especially in the small mountain and rural villages, where access to electricity is unstable or limited. It is estimated that about the 4% of the Italian population in internal areas live with difficulties of this type.
Projects such as Alinti could represent a concrete response to energy isolation problems, while contrasting the depopulation of these areas. The simplicity of the system and its low environmental impact make it a replicable solution wherever there are natural resources such as soil and plants.
In addition to providing energy, Alinti invites us to reflect on how we can rethink our relationship with natureusing resources intelligently without exploiting them beyond the limit.
The story of Hernán Asto and Alinti is the demonstration of how great innovations can arise from real problems, lived on their skin. It is not necessary to be a multinational or dispose of unlimited resources to find solutions capable of changing people’s lives. Sometimes, just observe nature and learn to collaborate with it.
