Desolenator offers water independence: just add sun!

create fresh water from sea water

Assuming you stayed relatively sane on New Year’s Eve, you probably going to woke up the next day feeling optimistic, ready to start the new year with a clean slate. Maybe resolve to lace up the sneakers, or lay off the carbs. Or take it bigger and tackle a problem beyond yourself by investing in some game-changing eco-tech.

Consider the Desolenator, which creates safe drinking water from sunshine.  Invest a few bucks and help thirsty people toast in 2015 with a glass of clean water.

Utility-scale desalination systems are energy intensive, making them expensive to operate and maintain.  They are also major producers of carbon emissions and brine, its primary byproduct, is toxic to aquatic ecosystems. Desolenator is a portable solar-powered water desalination system that makes any type of water – even seawater! – drinkable.

Created by Abu-Dhabi-based William Janssen, Desolenator offers an affordable and easy-to-use method of water purification that does not rely on a power grid.

convert sea water to drinking waterAccording to the United Nations Water GLAAS 2014 Report, 748 million people lack access to safe drinking water and an estimated 1.8 billion people use water sources contaminated with bacteria and feces. Providing adequate supplies of safe drinking water will radically improve sanitation and hygiene, particularly for poor people in remote areas not served by utility infrastructure. This would also aid in achieving the Millennium Development Goals to improve maternal health and curb the spread of infectious diseases.make fresh water from sea water

This ingenious gizmo produces up to 15 liters of clean water daily, requires no ancillary parts, and lasts up to 20 years. Priced at $450, the unit will desalinate water at a lower cost per liter than any system at this scale available on the market today.

Currently at prototype stage, it’s been awarded a place on the European Union-funded Climate-KIC Accelerator program, incubated at Imperial College London. Its current fundraising campaign on Indiegogo (link here) aims to accelerate development for mass production. Fundraising closes in two weeks – so act now if this project aligns with your new year’s resolutions.

desolenator water desalinationThe developers suggest that the units are ideal for millions of people living in developing countries who have limited or no access to clean water supplies. They can also be useful for campers, sailors, and emergency applications construction or extreme weather events interrupt urban water delivery systems.

With billions of people going thirsty and others becoming ill from polluted water, clean water looms large as the challenge of this century. A portfolio of emerging technologies that wick water from the air via billboards or sculptural baskets, and personal-desalination units like this one, will help make sure that the future doesn’t have to be about wars fought over water, a risk for much of the Middle East.

Pour yourself a glass of water, and raise a glass to projects like Desolenator.

All images from the Desolenator website

 

5 COMMENTS

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here

TRENDING

10 Proven Israeli Technologies to Help Somaliland Build Food, Water, and Energy Security

Israel’s water and agricultural technologies didn’t emerge from ideal conditions. They were developed under pressure: low rainfall, saline water, political isolation, lack of energy resources, and the constant need to feed a growing population with limited land. Over the years, I’ve written about many of these companies not as miracle-makers, but as problem-solvers. That’s what makes them relevant to places like Somaliland. Israel was the first country in the world to recognize Somaliland as an independent state although Ethiopia has been treating the nation as such for decades.

Dead shark on beach injured by fishing nets

  A dead shark that washed ashore this week at...

Investing in the Middle East? These 20 Energy consultants can de-risk your portfolio

For instance is your clean tech firm or company in wastewater treatment considering an office in Riyadh or should you stick with Dubai?  Below is a curated spotlight on 20 firms that shine for their deep expertise and proven ability to manage the complex risks of sustainable energy investment.

Choosing Riyadh over Dubai? What Investors Should Know

Saudi Arabia is deploying capital at unmatched scale to catalyze tourism and advanced industry while rewiring its power-and-water backbone. The investable frontier is widening—especially in renewables, grid storage, water efficiency/desal retrofits, and hospitality operating platforms. Prudent investors will insist on phased delivery, enforceable KPIs (energy, water, biodiversity), and RHQ/zone compliance—while pricing political-economy and reputational risks alongside growth upside.

Saudi Arabia’s oil-powered desalination “success” consumes 20% of its domestic oil use

Nearly 20% of Saudi Arabia’s oil powers desalination, with projections rising to 50% by 2030. Experts warn it should remain a last-resort solution due to high energy and environmental costs.

Qatar’s climate hypocrisy rides the London Underground

Qatar remains a master of doublethink—burning gas by the megaton while selling “sustainability” to a world desperate for clean air. Wake up from your slumber people.

How Quality of Hire Shapes Modern Recruitment

A 2024 survey by Deloitte found that 76% of talent leaders now consider long-term retention and workforce contribution among their most important hiring success metrics—far surpassing time-to-fill or cost-per-hire. As the expectations for new hires deepen, companies must also confront the inherent challenges in redefining and accurately measuring hiring quality.

8 Team-Building Exercises to Start the Week Off 

Team building to change the world! The best renewable energy companies are ones that function.

Thank you, LinkedIn — and what your Jobs on the Rise report means for sustainable careers

While “green jobs” aren’t always labeled as such, many of the fastest-growing roles are directly enabling the energy transition, climate resilience, and lower-carbon systems: Number one on their list is Artificial Intelligence engineers. But what does that mean? Vibe coding Claude? 

Somali pirates steal oil tankers

The pirates often stage their heists out of Somalia, a lawless country, with a weak central government that is grappling with a violent Islamist insurgency. Using speedboats that swarm the targets, the machine-gun-toting pirates take control of merchant ships and then hold the vessels, crew and cargo for ransom.

Leopoldo Alejandro Betancourt López Turned Ocean Plastic Into Profitable Sunglasses

Few fashion accessories carry the environmental burden of sunglasses. Most frames are constructed from petroleum-based plastics and acrylic polymers that linger in landfills for centuries, shedding microplastics into soil and waterways long after they've been discarded. Leopoldo Alejandro Betancourt López, president of the Spanish eyewear brand Hawkers, saw this problem differently than most industry executives.

Why Dr. Tony Jacob Sees Texas Business Egos as Warning Signs

Everything's bigger in Texas. Except business egos.  Dr. Tony Jacob figured...

Israel and America Sign Renewable Energy Cooperation Deal

Other announcements made at the conference include the Timna Renewable Energy Park, which will be a center for R&D, and the AORA Solar Thermal Module at Kibbutz Samar, the world's first commercial hybrid solar gas-turbine power plant that is already nearing completion. Solel Solar Systems announced it was beginning construction of a 50 MW solar field in Lebrija, Spain, and Brightsource Energy made a pre-conference announcement that it had inked the world's largest solar deal to date with Southern California Edison (SCE).

Related Articles

Popular Categories