• The technology developed by the UWE Bristol converts urine into electricity and will be used at the festival for the 4^th time
• The urinal will be located on the same location, a few hundred metres from the Pyramid stage

The PEE POWER urinal, that showcases a technology able to convert urine into electricity is back at the Glastonbury Festival. The structure, developed by the Bedford-based company Dunster House Ltd. is back again at a prime location at the Glastonbury Festival, being build a few hundred metres from the landmark of the event, the Pyramid stage.

This urinal is designed to fit the PEE POWER® system, developed by the UWE Bristol and that can turn urine into enough electricity to power lighting, information screens or charge mobile phones. This technology, known as Microbial Fuel Cell (MFC), not only can generate electricity, but also produces a natural by-product plant fertiliser by sanitating the urine.

Dunster House joined this project back in 2014, providing since then expertise, design knowledge and resources in manufacturing the structures used in the project. However, the history of the Pee Power Urinal started earlier, with a PhD research at the University of the West of England 17 years ago. In 2015 one of the Raised Latrines from the Humanitarian Range of the company was displayed outside the UWE University for the first trial and, that same year, the first PEE POWER urinal was developed to be taken to Glastonbury.

The ambitious project is funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and is the result of a collective effort between Dunster House, UWE Bristol and Oxfam to improve lives in refugee camps and areas with no sanitation or electricity. After three consecutive years of field testing at the Glastonbury Festival and thousands of people continuously using the structure day after day during the event with incredible results, the pissoir is back at Glastonbury and ready to accommodate up to 40 people at the same time.

This year Whiffaway is joining the partnership by supplying new troughs to fit in the structure, while the scientists developing the system have also added the new ‘Pee to Play’ feature, which will allow festival goers to play retro games on Game Boys directly powered by the system. As every year, academic staff will be available to explain how the PEE POWER® technology works.

Dunster House Ltd.

Dunster House Ltd. has been established in the UK retail market since 1994, with sites in Bedford, Flixborough, Warminster, Faversham, Basingstoke and Liverpool and thirteen sister factories in three countries across Europe.

It is the UK’s largest Garden Building Company, one of the largest UK Timber Climbing Frame Companies and produces many other successful and diverse product lines. Six years ago, Managing Director Chris Murphy decided to open a new Humanitarian department within Dunster House HQ, dedicated solely to finding solutions to humanitarian crisis using their expertise, resources and knowledge of design and manufacturing. Currently, Dunster House has become one of the leading manufacturers of sanitation equipment for national and international charities, being an official supplier of major NGO’s as Oxfam and Unicef.