According to World Health Organization projections, almost half of the world’s population will be living in water-stressed areas in much less than three years. While portions of Asia and Africa are notable for their lack of access to safe drinking water, the United States’ need for a safe and consistent supply of drinking water cannot be overstated. Over 1.5 million miles of lead pipes are still being used to access groundwater sources, and approximately 750 water main breaks are detected every day. This project is an engineering and sustainable development wonder, providing a road map for empowering people in an increasingly water-stressed world.

Making Water From Thin Air

Source Global’s technology is a renewable system that can take water from almost any place on the earth. The system was invented in 2014 by Cody Friesen at Arizona State University in the United States. It consists of a panel that looks similar to a solar panel but produces water instead of energy. They function similarly to solar panels, but instead of producing energy, they generate water. He transformed the science into Source Global a year later. Panels for the start-up cost around $2,000 per.

“We take sunshine and air and can produce perfect drinking water almost any place on the earth,” Friesen explained. “So, we take water, which has traditionally been perhaps humanity’s greatest issue, and transform it into something else.”

However, solar panels are part of the system, and they capture solar energy to power the gadget and make it free of power grids. The produced energy is utilized to power fans, which pull in ambient air and blow it over a water-absorbing substance, which traps the water vapor. The trapped water vapor is then removed and passively condensed before being collected. After that, minerals are added to guarantee that the water tastes good. Not only is the water acquired sustainably, but a single Source hydro panel can substitute for 54,000 single-use plastic bottles throughout its 15-year lifespan, according to the company’s website.

Underdeveloped Countries

Source’s hydropanels have been installed in 450 unique projects in 52 countries. This is now being tried in water-stressed nations such as Ecuador, Jordan, and Mexico. As rainfall declines, rain consistency changes, and subterranean water tables run dry or get polluted by increasing sea levels, underdeveloped island nations such as Timor-Leste are at peril of running out of water.

– In Kenya, where employees of the Samburu Girls Foundation suffered daily danger on their trips to collect water, an array of 40 hydropanels was installed. They now use their water supply

– Hydropanels were installed at the Perth police force in Australia’s Western Outback. Because drinking water is rare in this area, they prove to be quite useful.

-Following Hurricane Maria, hydropanels were supplied to Puerto Rico so that local inhabitants could fill buckets with drinkable water.

-In Colombia, the business erected panels in Baha Hondita, a remote Wayuu indigenous settlement on the edge of the Guajira peninsula, an arid region plagued by drought. Last year, the company installed 149 panels intending to provide drinking water to the almost 500 people who reside there.

In countries like India, in which an estimated 800,000 communities lack safe drinking water, this sort of technology is badly required. According to Friesen, the World Health Organization predicts that by 2025, “half of the world’s population will go into water-stressed areas.”  There is also a domestic need the commercial opportunity of installing them is tremendous.

Access to Clean Drinking Water

Communities that lack safe drinking water face fewer job prospects, are more vulnerable to sickness, and suffer from the impacts of poverty in greater numbers. Around the world, 2.2 billion people do not have access to clean drinking water, 4.2 billion do not have access to safe sanitation, and 3 billion do not have access to basic handwashing amenities. As the consequences of climate change become more pronounced, this sort of innovation is being implemented in communities throughout the world experiencing severe water shortages.