Pull free, safe drinking water straight from the sky!
The earth’s atmosphere is a huge freshwater reserve, packed with 13,000 cubic kilometers of moisture, yet over 150 million of people worldwide lack access to safe drinking water. Green Prophet has reported on billboards that harvest clean water from air. A company called Eole Water has taken the same concept and “built a better mousetrap” – or in this case, better wind turbine – retooling technology to siphon 1,000 liters of clean water a day from the same wind that is used to generate renewable energy.
They’ve been testing their prototype in the desert environment of Mussafah, on the outskirts of Abu Dhabi. Results indicate that this self-sufficient wind turbine (powered by a combination of solar and wind energy) is capable of producing up to 1,000 liters of potable water on a daily basis.
This system sidesteps a need to connect to a wider power grid, and its intelligent maintenance management system makes it particularly well suited to areas with little or no access to basic infrastructure.
It employs a condenser with a moisture exchange surface that is one meter wide and five kilometers long. Built from a revolutionary “food safe” alloy, it can sustain the water creation process for decades without risk of corrosion.
This new technology is maximally sustainable with air and sunshine being the only consumables. There is no carbon dioxide released, no groundwater drilling or water surface pumping. Collected water flows through a five-part water treatment system, including an ultraviolet filter, resulting in water that exceeds the drinking water standards required by the World Health Organization.
Components have been designed to withstand the most extreme climates with features such as:
- A hydraulic tilted mast able to withstand strong winds which does not require heavy lifting equipment for each maintenance operation
- Automatic shutters to protect against sandstorms and high densities of dust particles
- A remote monitoring system which enables our technical teams to detect any dysfunctions
There are similar technologies coming online all over the world which extract condensation from the air and convert it into drinking water. Many take on the added functionality of being able to provide drinking water to isolated communities. Technological multi-tasking with a green pedigree – it’s no wonder that last year Eole Water was awarded with a special Jury mention of “Enterprises and Environment Prize” in the category “Innovation in Technology”, organized by the French Ministry of Ecology, Sustainable Development and Energy.
