Cape Town – Drinking water is the most constrained resource around the world and humanity’s greatest challenge, according to Zero Mass Water founder and chief executive Cody Friesen, a materials scientist and an associate professor at Arizona State University in the US, who launched his solar water concept in Cape Town on Tuesday.
Zero Mass Water’s mission is to make drinking water an unlimited resource through its hydropanel called Source, which turns sunshine and air into high-quality water.
“What I arrived at was that direct renewable resources was the thing that was going to be next, because renewable to electricity solves part of the problem, but eventually we must solve energy, water and food, and the most constrained resource we face around the world is drinking water. Drinking water is probably humanity’s greatest challenge,” he said.
Friesen said Zero Mass Water’s Source hydropanes are a world-first technology, which use sunlight and air to make safe, pure drinking water.
The system is powered entirely by solar, and extracts pure water vapour from the air and converts it into liquid water, similar to distilled water.
Friesen said the Source system made water without any external electric or water input, and the significant advancement in drinking water access was made possible through the combination of thermodynamics, materials science and controls technology.
“With the high-cost and environmental damage of bottled water, hotels and attractions need a better choice for their guests. Our system provides a daily supply of delicious, high-quality drinking water, while offsetting the carbon footprint of bottled water,” he said.