Renewable Energy Powered Membrane Technology: A Leapfrog Approach to Rural Water Treatment in Developing Countries? Andrea I. Schäfer 1,2 *, Gordon Hughes 3 and Bryce S. Richards 4,5,6 1 School of Engineering, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH9 3JL, United Kingdom 2 Institute of Functional Interfaces (IFG), Hermann-von-Helmholtz-Platz 1, 76344 Eggenstein- Leopoldshafen, Germany 3 School of Economics, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH8 9JT, United Kingdom 4 School of Engineering and Physical Sciences, Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh EH14 4AS, United Kingdom 5 Institute of Microstructure Technology (IMT), Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Hermann-von- Helmholtz-Platz 1, 76344 Eggenstein-Leopoldshafen, Germany 6 Light Technology Institute (LTI), Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Engesserstrasse 13, 76131 Karlsruhe, Germany * corresponding author – email: andrea.iris.schaefer@kit.edu Manuscript submitted to Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews 1 Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews 40 (2014) 542 -556