Harnessing both sunshine and rain into reusable resources, while also providing shelter from both elements - this is the achievement of an innovative solar canopy designed by two Indian entrepreneurs. Their start up company, called ThinkPhi, claims that this is "the world’s most advanced integrated plug and play system for shade, water and energy.” It looks like an inverted umbrella and features solar panels on the top surface along with a canopy to collect and funnel rainwater into the filtration system. This could be a valuable asset for remote populations that have little or no water or electricity infrastructure.

Measuring 20 m x 20 m, the canopy is capable of producing up to 45 kW of electricity, and it also can store excess power that is not used. The present model can collect and filter hundreds of thousands of litres of water per year. The company says that they are building a larger model for industrial use that can filter over one million litres of rainwater annually. This new model will be useful for large infrastructure projects that are undertaken in remote areas, and can also serve as a precautionary back-up in times of natural disasters.