Hydropanels Bring Drinking Water to Thirsty Towns
These innovative panels are providing clean drinking water by using sunlight.
Access to clean drinking water is one of humanity's most basic needs. It is the foundation of life. That’s why companies that provide hydro-panels that can pull condensation out of the air to provide potable water can be a game-changer for many communities that do not have access to clean water in the US and around the world. Now, new technology from SOURCE Global can help.
Cut off from infrastructure
The small unincorporated town of Hueco Tanks, Texas near El Paso, has no connection to municipal water, according to InsideClimate News.
This has led Hueco resident Olga Thomas to install SOURCE Global hydropanels on her property so that she can have access to water to drink and to use to water her garden.“It’s my little sanctuary, my oasis out here,” she told InsideClimate News. She is just one of many.
Another small town – Hinkley, California – has a similar story to tell, reported ABC News. Almost 30 years ago, the town sued their utility company because of chromium 6 contamination in their water source.
Since then residents of Hinkley have struggled to find access to clean water, sometimes buying thousands of gallons of bottled water a month just to survive. Now, some residents have turned to hydropanels for relief.
According to SOURCE Global’s website, their hydropanels work in the following way: First, solar-powered fans pull water vapor out of the air, then warm air inside the hydropanel turns that water vapor into liquid water. Then the water is mineralized and circulated to keep it clean and finally, the water can be hooked up to residential or commercial systems.
The company has installed hydropanels in over 50 countries. However, the panels are not without drawbacks, most prominently price. According to ABC News, the panels only last about 20 years and there are substatial costs that would be difficult for residents of poorer communities.
Additionally, each panel does not produce a huge amount of water. The company recommends one panel per every two members of a household. This means that a household of four would need two panels and that is expensive. But, SOURCE Global’s hydropanels have been able to provide communities in distress with a vital resource when other entities would not or could not. This is not to be taken for granted.
As climate change brings unprecedented severe conditions such as drought, flooding, and extreme heat to the world, it has become more and more important to find innovative, sustainable solutions. Creating water from air may just be the way forward.
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