Raquel Gonzalez

Argentinian inventor creating solar-powered water purification systems for remote communities

Raquel Gonzalez's 2020 invention of the Aqualum System has transformed access to clean water in South America's most remote regions. This portable solar-powered unit can purify 500 liters of water daily using only sunlight and graphene-based filters, operating at half the cost of traditional methods. By 2023, her company had deployed 3,500 units in 14 countries through partnerships with UNICEF and local governments.

What sets Raquel apart is her focus on community ownership - each Aqualum installation includes training programs for local technicians and women's cooperatives to manage systems. Her 2021 collaboration with indigenous Mapuche communities in Chile led to culturally-adapted designs that respect traditional water usage practices. The resulting Mapuche Aqualum Project now serves 45,000 people in previously underserved areas.

In 2022, Raquel pioneered the world's first Watercoin cryptocurrency, allowing communities to trade purified water credits on the blockchain. This innovative system has created new revenue streams for 1,200+ households while maintaining water affordability. Her TED Talk "Solar Drops: Lighting Up Clean Water" (2023) has become a blueprint for decentralized water solutions globally. Recent MIT research credits her technology with reducing cholera cases by 40% in deployment areas since 2021.