Canned water produced from air and sunlight to hit US stores this year
With freshwater demand expected to outstrip supply by 40% by the end of the decade, and climate change worsening global water shortages, SKY WTR offers a promising alternative by extracting water directly from the air
Bottled water made from air using solar power will soon be available in US stores. This innovative solution, named SKY WTR, comes from Source, a company based in Scottsdale, Arizona.
The bottled water industry, valued at $350 billion, traditionally relies on groundwater extraction. Over the past 30 years, an estimated 2,150 gigatons of groundwater have been pumped from the Earth.
With freshwater demand expected to outstrip supply by 40% by the end of the decade, and climate change worsening global water shortages, SKY WTR offers a promising alternative by extracting water directly from the air, reports New Scientist.
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Source's journey began a decade ago with researchers at Arizona State University, who developed the Hydropanel technology. These panels resemble solar panels but produce clean water instead of electricity. Powered by sunlight, the panels use fans to draw in moisture-laden air, which is then absorbed by a hygroscopic material.
According to reports, the system uses solar power again to release this moisture in a concentrated air stream, enabling passive condensation of water inside the panel. Each panel can generate up to three liters of water per day, even in arid conditions like Arizona, enough to meet an individual's daily needs.
The water produced is highly pure and is mineralized and ozonated to ensure it is safe to drink.
Source's technology is scalable, making it suitable for residential communities, schools, hotels, and remote worksites. The company has implemented installations in 56 countries. With each Hydropanel costing $3,000, their primary customers have been governments and development banks aiming to provide drinking water to remote or water-scarce communities.
In Florida, Source has installed Hydropanels capable of generating 3,000 liters of water per day, which is bottled and marketed as SKY WTR in the US.
The goal of introducing SKY WTR is not just to compete in the bottled water market but to raise awareness about the Hydropanel technology and promote sustainable water sourcing.
The high cost of Hydropanels is currently a barrier to widespread adoption, but Source is confident that prices will decrease significantly in the near future, making sustainable, self-produced water economically viable.
