Using solar energy to produce water out of air

US company Source Global has built 1,250 sun-powered hydro-panels that can transform air into water in Dubai, using intrasun powered hydro-panels to make clean drinking water with an aim to get 75 percent of its energy use from clean sources by 2050.

“These hydro panels are effectively producing high quality drinking water day in, day out without requiring any infrastructure, any power or any type of grid,” the company’s Vice President Vahid Fotuhi told CNN in an interview.

This technology uses solar energy to power a fan that draws in air, which then goes through a sponge-like material where water molecules are absorbed.

“The big idea behind source is to perfect drinking water for every person in every place,” explained Fotuhi in the interview. “These hydro panels are effectively producing high quality drinking water day in, day out without requiring any infrastructure, any power or any type of grid.”

One of the biggest challenges facing this technology is the difficulty of wider distribution.  Fotuhi; however, said that the biggest challenge is to get people to use the idea.  

“As with most disruptive technologies, initially people are hesitant to change. They're reluctant to try something new and the same holds for the water sector. People here are accustomed to a staple solution for water generation and what we're proposing is kind of diversified menu effectively,” explained Fotuhi.

Source Global, operates in 48 countries, but chose Dubai to develop its biggest water farm. According to Fotuhi, Dubai desert produces around1.5 million liters of drinking water every year using sunlight. The company was established in Dubai in 2017.