This technology can produce drinking water straight from the air and can supply up to 1,000 liters per day per unit, with plans to increase capacity to 7,500 liters in the near future.
Khalifa University of Science and Technology, in partnership with UAE-based company Eshara Water, Swedish firm Azelio AB, and Masdar City, has launched the world’s first atmospheric water generation (AWG) system that is powered entirely by solar and electrical thermal energy storage.
This technology can produce drinking water straight from the air and can supply up to 1,000 liters per day per unit, with plans to increase capacity to 7,500 liters in the near future.
The AWG project combines AWG with solar power and two thermal energy storage power-on-demand (TES.POD®) systems for night clean electricity supply.
This AWG project is a region-specific, sustainable research initiative that offers expertise and infrastructure to facilitate research for clean production of water and power.
It is expected to benefit distant or isolated off-grid regions that would otherwise have to depend on non-ecofriendly energy sources for their daily electricity and water requirements.
Atmospheric water generation is a popular means of producing drinking water in remote locations, or for specific uses such as disaster relief, where distance and time hinder the installation of conventional water desalination.
The AWG systems capture moisture from ambient air to produce fresh water through cooling of most air below its dew point causing the moisture to condense as water. The water collected is then filtered and treated to meet quality standards.
Dr. Nicolas Calvet, Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering at Khalifa University, and Founder and Chair of Khalifa University’s Masdar Institute Solar Platform (MISP) at Masdar City, said that Khalifa University has installed 450 kW of solar photovoltaic (PV) panels for this groundbreaking project funded by Azelio.
He added that the university’s mission is to pioneer solutions that cater to the environmental needs of the UAE and the wider global community, hence this project focuses on energy storage and production of electricity and water at night.
Thanks to the solar PV farm and the TES.POD® energy storage system designed by Azelio AB, the AWG system installed at the MISP can operate 24 hours a day. This system is a perfect representation of Masdar City’s vision, a mechanism that generates potable water without the need for power from the national grid.
