FOOTPRINT COALITION
Water From Air
The Problem
Around 700 million people worldwide suffer from water scarcity. The Eastern Coachella Valley in California has long endured a lack of critical infrastructure necessary to provide access to safe drinking water for farmworker and low-income families. A large majority of the population lives in mobile home parks, which are not served by municipal water and other services. These communities rely on onsite water wells, but many are in geological areas with high levels of naturally occurring arsenic and fluoride.
The System
The SOURCE® Hydropanel is a technology that incorporates multiple patented inventions alongside proprietary trade secrets, making it a one-of-a-kind renewable water technology that uses the power of the sun to extract clean, pollutant-free drinking water from the air. Collected water is then mineralized for ideal composition and taste, making premium-quality drinking water a readily available resource. See https://www.source.co/
The Grant
Several homes in the Francisco Alencia Mobile Home Park will be served by panel arrays through our partner, Pueblo Unido CDC, a nonprofit, which predominantly supports farm workers with incomes of less than $20k per year.
Here's Why We're On The Case:
"Two Hydropanels can remove the equivalent of a car's worth of CO2! (And the water tastes great!)"
Water From Thin Air
Sun And Air
Autonomy
Although water production can vary depending on the weather in a particular location, SOURCE technology is optimized for a wide range of conditions and can even produce water in low to medium sun and humidity. The panels have an expected lifespan of 15 years.
SOURCE is a completely independent drinking water solution; it efficiently utilizes solar power to generate the right amount of electricity required to run its own system to produce water and charge the battery that ensures you can dispense water when collected. Each panel has a 30L reservoir for a week's worth of water.
Geek Out
The device uses solar-powered fans to draw air inside, where water vapor is adsorbed onto a hygroscopic material. Heat captured by solar thermal panels increases the vapor pressure of the water, causing the hygroscopic material to release it. This raises the specific humidity of the water vapor inside, elevating the dew point above the ambient temperature so there’s no need to chill the vapor to achieve condensation, even in arid environments.
Around The World
Some 2.2 billion people around the world do not have safely-managed drinking water. People in 48 countries around the world have implemented SOURCE Hydropanels for their water needs. Two panels can serve the needs of a family of 4-6 people, and panels can be scaled to meet any family's or community's potable water needs.
