Atmospheric water generators (AWGs) sound like magic: machines that can pull drinking water out of air. The idea is mentioned in the Bible, where the elders would pray for water collected as dew on plants and the catch on turning this into a machine is in the physics. To turn invisible vapor into liquid, you must remove heat, especially the latent heat of condensation. In real machines, that usually means refrigeration (cooling air below its dew point) or heating/desorbing moisture from sorbents. Either way, energy use rises fast as humidity drops. While many solutions exist on the market, the solutions aren’t magic. Too much energy needs to go into the AWG machines to make the water from thin air concept work.

Peer-reviewed assessments put many active AWGs in the rough range of ~0.35 to >1.1 kWh per liter depending on climate and design see this paper. A broader scientific review of atmospheric water harvesting thermodynamics estimates maximum yields around 0.34 to0.73 L/kWh under various assumptions, equivalent to roughly ~1.4 to 2.9 kWh per liter in the “best case” envelope. See PNIH resource. Lab and field results can be lower or higher depending on temperature, humidity, airflow, and heat exchange losses.

The core problems of AWG, water from air generators

• Low humidity = tiny water per cubic meter of air. The drier the air, the more air you must process to get a liter, which means bigger fans, larger heat exchangers, and more power.
• Cooling penalty. Condensation-based AWGs must cool air below dew point; that’s energy-intensive, especially in hot-dry regions where dew point can be very low.
• Heat management. You must dump heat to the environment (or recover it). Poor heat rejection and frosting risks can crater performance.
• Water quality isn’t “free.” Collected water still needs filtration/UV/mineralization and safe storage, adding energy and maintenance.

So how can AWGs be solved?

The most promising pathways don’t “beat physics” — they change the system boundary:

• Use low-grade heat or solar thermal to regenerate sorbents instead of running compressors. MOF-based devices have shown solar-driven harvesting in arid climates (Kim et al., in this 2018 Nature article).
• Hybridize with HVAC/dehumidification you already pay for to run. If a building must remove humidity anyway, capturing and polishing that water can be “incremental” rather than “extra.” While it might not run showers, the water can be used to water gardens or flush toilets. See our article on top uses for AC water.
• Raise efficiency via better sorbents + heat recovery. New cycling strategies and materials aim to cut regeneration energy and speed cycles (Kang et al., 2024).
• Target the right use cases. Emergency backup, remote sites, islands, and places where trucking water is expensive can justify higher kWh/L.

10 promising companies in the AWG space

1. SOURCE Global (solar “hydropanels”) — promising for off-grid drinking water where sunlight is abundant (SOURCE how it works).
2. Watergen — large deployments and claimed efficiency improvements; best fit in warm/humid conditions. See our past article on Watergen.
3. Genesis Systems — containerized systems positioned for disaster resilience and humid climates.
4. Aquaria — scaling “water from the sky” for housing developments; success depends on cost per liter vs local supply (Time on Aquaria).
5. Skysource / Skywater Alliance (WEDEW) — notable for renewable-energy framing and resilience applications (XPRIZE profile).
6. AirJoule — one to watch if real-world data confirms lower energy via novel separation/recovery approaches (AirJoule investor deck).

   

7. Uravu Labs — interesting liquid-desiccant path tied to renewables and local bottling models (Mongabay India).
8. Kara Water — consumer appliances; compelling product story, but energy economics must be transparent (Kara Water).
9. EcoloBlue — long-running commercial/home units; performance varies heavily with climate (EcoloBlue specs).
10. WaHa from Saudi Arabia is positioning around “water + dry air” and grid-independent operation; worth watching for verified field performance (WaHa). Professor Omar Yaghi, a distinguished chemist from the University of California, Berkeley, and pioneer of reticular chemistry (inventor of Metal-Organic Frameworks/MOFs). Born in Jordan and working in California, he was awarded the 2025 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, shared with Richard Robson and Susumu Kitagawa, for this work. Waha is active in Saudi Arabia and the UAE.

    

    

AWGs are rarely the cheapest way to make water where pipelines, wells, or desalination are available. They are commonly used by armies to create water in remote locations where energy isn’t an issue. Diesel or solar does the heavy lifting. But as materials improve, and as systems tap waste heat, solar thermal, or existing dehumidification loads, AWGs can become a practical niche tool, especially for resilient, point-of-use drinking water in the places that need it most in off-grid sites and in emergency settings.

Let’s aim for the day when fusion energy is real, and we can all pull water from the air to drink. Just add some Mayu minerals to make the water work well for your body.

The post What are AWG air-water generators, and why they aren’t a golden-bullet solution (yet) appeared first on Green Prophet.

Tawakkol Karman, a Yemeni journalist and political activist instrumental in the Arab Spring is the youngest peace prize laureate to accept the prize in a ceremony over the weekend. She is one of three women including Leymah Gbowee and Ellen Johnson Sirleaf to accept the prize this year, and according to reports, the first Arab woman to be honored.

Greenprophet reported on her win in October in which our contributor, Arwa Aburawa wrote, “the Nobel Peace Prize should also remind those who need reminding that Muslim woman can and do play an important role in the transformation of their societies.” It’s a milestone for those committed to advancing women and human rights in the Middle East, rights we know are intertwined with the environment.

The NY Times reports:

Ms. Karman, who for months has lived out of a blue tent in a protest camp in Sana, Yemen, has been deemed “Mother of the Revolution” in her country. In 2005, she founded the advocacy group Women Journalists Without Chains.

She was by turns tearful and fervent in her address, which cited the commandments of the Torah, the Bible and the Koran and called upon Western nations to lend further support to the uprisings in the region.

“The democratic world, which has told us a lot about the virtues of democracy and good governance, should not be indifferent to what is happening in Yemen and Syria, and happened before that in Tunisia, Egypt and Libya, and happens in every Arab and non-Arab country aspiring for freedom,” Ms. Karman said.

“All of that is just hard labor during the birth of democracy, which requires support and assistance, not fear and caution.”

According to AP reports, Karman declared that she believes the pro-democracy revolts that have swept the Arab world will help “drive out” al-Qaida terrorists.

“When there is dictatorship, you will find extremism and you will find terrorism, “I am so confident that these peaceful revolutions and new governments in the Arab region and the rest of the world will drive out terrorism,” said Karman.

The prize to these three women including Karman have been called a long overdue testament to the courage of women to effect democratic change in their respective regions.

The role of women in the Middle East has taken center stage among those who recognize that the emancipation of women is essential to establishing democratic governments.

Read more on Women’s rights:
Egyptian Women Forced to Take ‘Virginity’ Tests During Protest, Amnesty International
US Senator Olympia Snowe Leads Women in Renewed Call for Women’s Rights in the Middle East
The Middle East Needs More Sluts

Tinamarie is a regular contributor to Greenprophet.com. Follow her @ModernLoveMuse. She blogs at www.tinamariebernard.com.

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Yemeni activist Tawakul Karman has become the first Arab woman to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize

Today, Yemeni activist Tawakul Karman was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for her role in the Arab Spring along with two other Liberian women who mobilized a women’s ‘sex strike’ which ended a 14-year civil war in their country. Tawakul Karman, the 32-year-old mother of three who formed the group Women Journalist Without Chains in 2005, dedicated her prize to the women of Yemen fighting against tribalism and oppression. As well as going some way to help ensure that women’s role in the Arab Spring isn’t marginalised, the Nobel Peace Prize should also remind those who need reminding that Muslim woman can and do play an important role in the transformation of their societies.

There’s no doubt that 2011 has been an unforgettable year for the Arab world and it seems that with extraordinary times, you get the rise of extraordinary people who move the average citizens to aspire for better. In the Arab world, those tipped as candidates for the Nobel Peace Prize included Lina Ben Mhenni who blogged about oppression and censorship in Tunisia before the fall of the government, Wael Ghonim and also Israa Abdel Fatteh who setup the facebook page ‘April 6 Youth, the Egyptian Resistance Movement’. Yet despite the media hype that the Arab Spring activist most likely to win the Nobel Peace Prize would be Wael Ghonim, I was happily surprised that a female activist still struggling for women’s rights and democracy in Yemen won.

Yemen is believed to be one of the poorest nations in the world, it has huge problems with regard to women’s rights and is also struggling with environmental problems such as extreme water shortages. Indeed, some experts fear that Sana’a will become the world’ first waterless capital city. Despite these restrictions, Tawakul Karman managed to grow and develop and has played a leading part in the struggle for peace and gender equality in her country. Following the news that Saudi women will be granted the right to vote and run for elections, it seems that the Arab Spring has been able to usher in some good news not only for democracy but also for women.

What we need to remember, however, is that Karman is still locked in battle with the Yemeni government headed by president Ali Abdullah Saleh who has run the country for 33 years. Several hundred protestors have been killed since nationwide unrest broke out in February and Karman herself was briefly arrested. Writing for the Guardian in April of this year she said:

“I call on the United States and the European Union to tell Saleh that he must leave now, in response to the demands of his people. They should end all support for his regime, especially that which is used to crush peaceful opposition – tear gas canisters have “Made in America” on them…

If the US and Europe genuinely support the people, as they say, they must not betray our peaceful revolution. It is the expression of the democratic will of the overwhelming majority of the people of Yemen.”

:: Image via womenpress.org

For more on Yemen see:

Water & The Middle East At A Glance (Infographic)

Millions Go Hungry In Syria, Libya and Yemen

Yemen Running Dry As Water Shortages Reach Extreme Levels

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