As the climate crisis continues to unfold, professionals in architecture, engineering, and sustainable design have relentlessly searched for new ways to mitigate the negative effects of modern industrial production. One group of such innovators, Zero Mass Water, have contributed to this effort through their creation of ‘the world’s first and only hydropanel’ - an apparatus called SOURCE.
SOURCE uses solar energy to generate water from the humidity in the air. Appearing like a solar panel, it is completely self-contained, producing clean water even in conditions with low sunlight and humidity. Since its release, the product has benefited communities where water-independence, drought, and other climate conditions remain looming considerations.
For example, Australian NBA player Patty Mills’ philanthropic Community Water Project partnered with Zero Mass Water to supply clean drinking water to Indigenous communities living in drought-stressed areas of arid Australia. SOURCE was installed in six different remote communities to provide adequate drinking water without the need to construct an elaborate infrastructure. While this and many of their other clients are community-based or philanthropic, companies like Platinum Heritage, a luxury desert safari camp in Dubai, use SOURCE in the interest of sustainability. Supplying renewable water with renewable energy, it replaces water infrastructure systems that may deplete, contaminate, or pollute valuable water reserves, affecting local ecosystems.
Architects and designers working in locations with limited access to water, providing supplies to remote or disadvantaged communities, or simply concerned with sustainability would all benefit from this innovation. With a single panel providing enough water for 2-3 people, the technology could be used not only for large communities but for sustainably-focused residential homes as well. A product with the power to deeply affect people’s lives, SOURCE’s possibilities are seemingly limitless.
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