Water From Thin Air

FRESH AND POTABLE WATER IS AN ESSENTIAL part of our lives. But with things like over industrialization, pollution, deforestation, and whatnot threatening our most vital resource, we may lose access to clean water more rapidly than we can imagine. Thankfully, tech companies that focus on green innovations are here to save the day. 

- Penn de Vera

Cody Friesen, an engineering and materials science professor at the Arizona State University, and founder and CEO of Zero Mass Water, has developed a water harvesting technology that makes use of solar panels— called Source—to pull drinkable water out of the air.

It may sound ridiculous, but it’s the real deal. Just think of the natural process of condensation—water forming on leaves when warm air hits its cold surface. Both sides of the Source generate heat and a proprietary material inside the panel absorbs the moisture from the air. Condensed moisture turns into water, which ends up in a 30-liter reservoir under the panel.