HONOLULU -- A Honolulu man who developed a solar cooker is now using one of his latest inventions to help the people of Haiti for one of the essentials they desperately need: water.

Inventor John Grandinetti lives in Kahala. His solar pasteurization unit can help clean bacteria- and virus-tainted water.

The water sits in a black aluminum case and the sun heats the water as high as 180 degrees. A wax indicator melts when the water has been hot enough to kill things like cholera, leptospirosis and other pathogens.

"We feel solar energy offers the greatest possible improvement in their island existence because it will reduce deforestation and improve their health because they'll be able to afford to boil water or pasteurize water using our unit," Grandinetti said.

Grandinetti's Web site: www.blazingtubesolar.com

The Kahala resident is shipping 450 of the units to Haiti. Getting them there is a bit complicated.

"We were lucky enough to be at the moment of completion of our first production of these pasteurizers in china and connected with the right people in Florida, who were incorporating private boats to bring supplies to Haiti with shallow water ports, where we're sending these," Grandinetti said.

He also builds solar ovens. He sent a few of those to Haiti, too. He said he is not in this for publicity or money. His organization is not-for-profit.

Grandinetti said he hopes people in Third World countries will use more solar ovens and water pasteurizers and cut down fewer trees for firewood.