Sheinbaum meets with teen inventor of recycled solar water heater at National Palace

Xóchitl Guadalupe Cruz López, a teenage girl from Chiapas who invented a solar water heater from recycled materials, visited President Claudia Sheinbaum at the National Palace on Nov. 5 to promote her invention and discuss ways to bring it to more households. The meeting, which was livestreamed on Sheinbaum’s official TikTok account, took place after content creator Alexis Omman shared a video asking Sheinbaum to take notice of Cruz’s work. Dubbed by Mexican media as the “niña genio” (genius girl), Cruz, 16, told Sheinbaum she began developing her project when she was in second grade, at just eight years old. The project, called “Baño Calientito” (Warm Bath), uses recycled materials including black-painted PET bottles, hoses and glass to harness solar energy and heat water for household use. Her intention was to provide an alternative for families in her hometown of San Cristóbal de las Casas, Chiapas, who relied on firewood to heat water or otherwise had to take cold showers. Since then, she has made modifications to improve the device’s performance. According to Cruz, it costs less than 500 pesos (US $26) to build and can heat up to 50 liters of water. Six units have been installed in homes within their community, including her own, where their use has helped reduce fuel consumption. During her visit to the National Palace, Cruz also participated in Sheinbaum’s Science in One Minute informational video segments, where she explained more details about her invention. Sheinbaum’s praise joins other national and international recognition. In 2018, Cruz won the 2018 ICN Recognition for Women presented by the Institute of Nuclear Sciences at the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) — making her the first female minor to receive this honor. Later, in 2020, TIME magazine included her in its selection of seven young inventors who are proposing solutions to global problems, highlighting Warm Bath. To support Cruz’s invention, Sheinbaum pledged that her administration would review the project’s large-scale viability and expedite its registration with the Mexican Institute of Industrial Property (IMPI). Moreover, she promised to support the academic pursuits of the young girl, who wishes to study medicine and subsequently specialize in neurosurgery. With reports from El Informador, Crónica, El Mexicano and Infobae