The system can function in air with 20% humidity or less. But these 1,000 liter a day machines are not small, at around shipping container size.
It’s a Fremen wind trap.
These need to be upscaled and distributed to every water insecure country to prevent the water refugee crisis that is bound to happen in the future.
I wonder, if that was done, how much energy would be transferred from the atmosphere (condensing water vapor transfers a huge amount of energy as heat), and what impact that might have on climate instability. I also wonder if there’s a way to transfer the heat energy to somewhere “safer”, like underground, or even turn it into useful energy.
And if these could be used in places that aren’t as bone dry, even better. I mean all the big powerful storms have been bigger and more powerful because of all the extra moisture in the air… if we could throw these everywhere, pull some of that moisture out, and use it to supply potable water instead of drawing from reservoirs, that seems like it might be a many-win option.
The article explains that the system doesn’t use power or any type of refrigerant, instead it uses a new type of material with large surface areas in a small package to capture/condense the water out of the air while utlizing wind and the sun to help accomplish its goal.
I would agree that up until now the only viable technology was a dehumidifier which takes great amounts of fossil fuel energy, but this isn’t the case here.
