Panel uses solar energy to capture moisture and produce drinking water
Zero Mass Water equipment creates conditions that allow the extraction of drinking water even in an arid environment
Image: Zero Mass Water/Disclosure
An Arizona-based startup has developed a product capable of extracting water from the air and electricity. called from Source Hydropanel, the product created by Zero Mass Water has the potential to change the way we drink and distribute clean water. Now, in addition to working to make its products more accessible, the company has launched a new business model, called "water as a service".
The equipment of the Zero Mass Water uses air and solar panels to create the right conditions to accelerate the water condensation process, allowing the extraction of fresh water even in an arid environment. It is a hydro-panel and its appearance is similar to a solar panel, but the device is a water source.
O Source Hydropanel was created by Cody Friesen, CEO of Zero Mass Water and associate professor of materials science at Arizona State University. The product may seem magical, as it does not require electrical input, pipes or public utility infrastructure, using a resource that is already present in abundance - water that exists in the air itself.
The equipment points to an important option, since a high number of people do not have access to running water - in the United States alone there are 2 million people and toxic substances were found in the water supply in 49 states of the country.
The new Source Hydropanel model
THE Zero Mass Water has launched a new residential model, called Rexi, which is half the size of its standard hydro-panel. The utensil was optimized for the production of water to cover homes, schools and businesses. Rexi uses a cloud-based sensor suite to provide detailed water quality knowledge and automated optimization capabilities for residential hydro-panels installed around the world.
Owners can track the performance of their hydro-panels, the quality of their water and the available amount of water stored in each panel's reservoir through the smartphone app Source.
The focus of Zero Mass Water is to provide independent, off-grid access to perfect drinking water for anyone, everywhere, empowering people to create their own drinking water sustainably and cost-effectively.
How it works
Hydro-panels are able to capture water vapor from the air and use solar energy to make this water heat up and circulate through the equipment, raising the relative humidity and reaching a passive dew point. The materials the device is made of attract only water molecules, so the liquid water produced is pure, not unlike distilled water. The innovations behind the Source awarded the company the Lemelson-MIT 2019 Award.
Water-as-a-service model
THE Zero Mass Water devised a plan to supply large amounts of water through a new business model. The company claims to have deployed several large-scale source fields, or arrays of hydro-panels, that create a continuous supply of water for communities and businesses.
As they are able to operate independently of an electrical network, the Source Fields in theory they could be deployed anywhere in the world and would be capable of producing millions of gallons of potable, renewable water in a single location. To date, Zero Mass Water has four source fields to serve nearby communities and businesses, with several others under development and construction.
