Writer: Sum C

According to the statistics from World Vision, in 2017, there were about 785 million people, that is one in ten people living in the world, lacking access to clean water, which is threatening their health. Many technology companies are finding ways to deal with this severe global water crisis. 

Cody Friesen, a professor of Arizona State University in 2014, invented a set of panels which only cost USD2,000 to help communities with limited economic resources to gain access to clean water. The set of panels, called Source, consists of a solar panel and a set of hydropanels. The solar panel powers the hydro panels to convert water vapour into drinkable water. Below is the operation of the hydropanels: 

•    The hygroscopic material collects water vapour from the air drawn in the hydro panels by the fans. 
•    With the heat from the sun, the hydro panels convert water vapour into pure water in liquid form. 
•    Pure water is mineralised with magnesium and calcium to improve its taste. 
•    The sensors monitor the water quality 

A set of panels can produce 3 to 5 litres of clean water per day on average. This invention was being adopted in 50 countries around the world according to a report from Forbes on 13 January 2022. Cody Friesen’s start-up producing Source has attracted the attention of big investors. For example, in 2019, it got a US$1 billion fund led by Bill Gates and other investors. 
 

Source:
https://www.worldvision.org/clean-water-news-stories/global-water-crisis-facts#facts
https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2019/01/these-2-000-solar-panels-pull-clean-drinking-water-out-of-the-air-and-they-might-be-a-solution-to-the-global-water-crisis
https://www.source.co/resources/press/solar-powered-source-hydropanels-can-produce-up-to-5-liters-of-drinking-water-per-day/
https://www.source.co/resources/press/bill-gates-and-blackrock-backing-source-global-maker-of-hydropanels/
https://www.source.co/resources/press/valley-company-uses-technology-to-create-water-using-sunlight-and-air/
https://www.forbes.com/sites/jeffkart/2022/01/13/solar-powered-source-hydropanels-can-produce-up-to-5-liters-of-drinking-water-per-day/?sh=73a591837cdd