Tech and Telecom

These Panels Can Produce Water Out of Thin Air

An Arizona based company might be making “moisture farming” mainstream in the coming years, as its new Source Hydropanels create drinking water right out of thin air.

That’s right, it uses sunlight and humidity in the atmosphere itself to harvest clean, and mineral-rich drinking water. Zero Mass Water Inc. (ZMW) came up with this solution – it uses solar energy and an absorbent material, dubbed Source, to extract drinking water from vapors in the air.

Drinking water “just from sunlight and air”, harvested by an off-grid and self-contained hydropanel.
The company is already partnering with some known entities, including an American solar power firm known as Green Heat Corp. and even the Asian Development Bank (ADB) to start deploying Source Hydropanels in areas that needed it the most.
Chief of ADB’s energy group, Yongping Zhai says that this technology will help rural areas and small islands, where water supply and electricity services are scarce, to get a reliable source of clean drinking water. ADB has partnered with ZMW for a pilot deployment in Mandaluyong City, at the ADB headquarters. “We hope that, through this pilot project, we can demonstrate the viability of this innovative technology,” says Zhai.

$2,000 Each

ZMW says that each Source Hydropanel can produce up to 5 liters of water per day so two of them are needed to support the needs of a small family or an office, though three or more would be required for an average family, office, or a school.

It costs a hefty $2,000 each – and uses photovoltaic wafers, air filters, and water filters as well. Additionally, it also has a mineralizing reservoir that mixes small quantities of calcium and magnesium into the harvested water “for health and taste benefits.”

It does not need artificial electricity, and uses direct solar energy to collect moisture from the air into an air-tight system – at the end, the water flows through a filtered dispenser for its users.

A panel can last for a minimum of 15 years. Source panels are connected to the [information technology] cloud, and are monitored in real time [from Arizona] so that we can see whether they are living up to our promise in terms of production and quality.

Via Inquirer

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Published by
Sarmad Sameer