A company in the United States is set to launch a new product that could be a solution to the water crisis faced by many regions across the world. Source, a company based in Scottsdale, Arizona, has come up with an innovative solution- producing canned water from the air and sunlight.
The initiative is taken in an effort to promote solar-powered hydro panels that provide an off-grid method of producing drinking water. This sustainable solution, to be launched under the brand name Sky Wtr, will go on sale soon in the United States.
As per a report by NewScientist, Source said that their journey began a decade ago with researchers at Arizona State University, who developed the hydropanel technology.
Elaborating further, the company gave insights into the science behind their groundbreaking technology, they explained, “Basically, we are distilling the air, so you get pure, distilled water as a result.”
Powered by sunlight, these hydropanels look similar to solar panels but produce pure water instead of electricity. They first draw water vapour from the air and then it is absorbed by a hygroscopic material. The system again uses solar power to release this moisture in a concentrated air stream, allowing passive condensation of water inside the panel, the outlet mentioned.
It is worth noting that each panel can produce nearly 3 litres of drinking water a day, even in arid circumstances like Arizona, which is enough to meet an individual’s daily needs. The produced water is mineralized and ozonated to ensure it is safe to drink. Source plans to sell this water to the public across the US in major retailers in August or September 2024. This canned drinking water will be sold in recyclable aluminium cans and bottles.
Launched in 2014 as Zero Mass Water, the US company has till now installed hydropanels in 56 countries worldwide. These panels are easy to install and can be installed as ground arrays or on rooftops, linked into a building’s drinking water pipes. With each hydro panel costing $3,000 (approximately Rs 2.5 lakh), the company’s primary customers have been government bodies and development banks, with the aim of providing drinking water to water-scarce communities.
Moreover, the company explained that their goal in introducing Sky Wtr is not just to compete in the bottled water market but to promote sustainable water sourcing and raise awareness about the Hydropanel technology. They further mentioned that the high cost of hydro panels is a barrier to widespread adoption currently, but they are confident that prices will decrease in the near future, making sustainable and self-produced water economically viable.
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