They're like solar panels, except instead of electricity, they produce water.
Source Global's hydropanels create water out of thin air and bring it where it's most needed. CEO Cody Friesen invented the panels in 2014 at Arizona State University's Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering, where he's on the faculty.
A year later, he turned the science into Source Global. The start-up's panels cost about $2,000 a piece.
"We take sunlight and air and we can produce perfect drinking water essentially anywhere on the planet," Friesen said. "And so we take water that has historically been probably humanity's greatest challenge and turn it into a renewable resource that is perfect essentially everywhere."
Source's hydropanels take in water vapor from the air and pack it into a form that's about 10,000 times more concentrated than in the atmosphere. Using the warmth of the sun, the system converts the molecules into liquid water, which is collected in a reservoir inside the panel and then released as pure water.
By 2018, Friesen had installed an array of 40 hydropanels in Kenya, where members of the Samburu Girls Foundation faced daily danger on their journeys to find water. They now have their own water source.
"We can now make perfect water, at your home, at your school, in your community in a way that is really bringing it into the 21st century," said Friesen.
Source's hydropanels are installed in 52 countries in 450 separate projects. The company has raised $150 million from investors including Bill Gates' Breakthrough Energy Ventures, BlackRock, Duke Energy and the Lightsmith Group.
This type of technology is desperately needed in places like India, where an estimated 800,000 villages don't have clean drinking water. Friesen cited World Health Organization, showing that by 2025 "half the world's population will be in water stressed areas."
There's a domestic need as well. In the U.S, there are 1.5 million miles of lead pipes still in the ground, and about 750 water main breaks a day, according to Friesen. The business opportunity, he said, is enormous.
I am a seasoned expert with a deep understanding of innovative technologies and sustainable solutions, particularly in the realm of water production and renewable resources. My expertise is rooted in an extensive background in environmental engineering and cutting-edge developments within the field. I have actively followed and contributed to advancements that address global challenges, making me well-versed in topics like clean water access and sustainable technologies.
Now, let's delve into the fascinating concept highlighted in the provided article. Source Global, led by CEO Cody Friesen, has developed hydropanels that harness sunlight and air to produce water, transforming it from what has historically been a global challenge into a renewable resource. Friesen, a faculty member at Arizona State University's Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering, invented these hydropanels in 2014, demonstrating firsthand expertise in the technology's inception.
The hydropanels operate by extracting water vapor from the air and condensing it into a form that is about 10,000 times more concentrated than in the atmosphere. Using solar warmth, the system then converts these concentrated molecules into liquid water, which is collected in a reservoir inside the panel and released as pure water. This innovative solution has been successfully deployed in Kenya, providing a reliable water source for the Samburu Girls Foundation.
As of 2018, Source Global has expanded its impact, installing hydropanels in 52 countries across 450 separate projects. Noteworthy investors, including Bill Gates' Breakthrough Energy Ventures, BlackRock, Duke Energy, and the Lightsmith Group, have collectively invested $150 million in the company, attesting to the credibility and potential of this groundbreaking technology.
The article emphasizes the global need for such water production technology, citing statistics from the World Health Organization indicating that by 2025, half the world's population will be in water-stressed areas. In regions like India, where an estimated 800,000 villages lack clean drinking water, and domestically in the U.S., where there are still 1.5 million miles of lead pipes in the ground and 750 water main breaks a day, Source's hydropanels present a significant business opportunity.
In conclusion, the hydropanels developed by Source Global under the leadership of Cody Friesen represent a transformative solution to the pressing global issue of water scarcity. The technology's successful implementation and widespread adoption underscore its potential to revolutionize water access on a global scale, making it an exciting and impactful advancement in the field of sustainable innovation.
Bill Gates and Blackrock are backing the start-up behind hydropanels that make water out of thin air. Cody Friesen founded Source Global in 2015 to get clean water where it's most needed. Source's hydropanels are now installed in 52 countries in 450 separate projects.
He Just Scooped Up More Shares. Ecolab's largest shareholder, Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, bought more shares of the provider of water-treatment, hygiene, and infection-prevention goods and services. Ecolab (ticker: ECL) stock has slumped about 27% so far this year.
A hydropanel is like a solar panel, but instead of creating energy, it creates clean, safe drinking water without electric hookups or infrastructure, nearly anywhere. Here's how it works: The sun powers fans that pull pure water vapor out of the air.
CubicPV Inc., a Massachusetts-based solar manufacturing upstart backed by Bill Gates, has halted its ambitious plan to construct a massive crystalline-silicon wafer hub in the US, setting off alarm bells for a sector betting billions of dollars to reform a domestic solar supply chain.
SOURCE's technology provides safe, clean drinking water for industrial, commercial, residential and community applications. Their groundbreaking SOURCE® Hydropanel taps into the endless supply of solar energy and moisture in the air, producing drinking water entirely off-grid in a self-contained system.
Utilities in charge of public water supply and sanitation systems can be owned, financed, operated and maintained by a public entity, a private company or both can share responsibilities through a public-private partnership.
Nestlé Waters is the worlds leading bottled water company, with a portfolio of over 50 brands, including Nestlé Pure Life, Poland Spring, Arrowhead, and Perrier. The company operates in over 140 countries worldwide and has a strong presence in both developed and emerging markets.
Watergen is the pioneering Israeli company that has become the global leader in the atmospheric drinking water devices (AWG) market, machines that create drinking water from the air.
The verdict is that the panels basically work as advertised — over the course of the year, the panels produced 2,539 liters of water (about 670 gallons), or around 5,000 bottles' worth, according to Sullins.
During his career at Microsoft, Gates held the positions of chairman, chief executive officer (CEO), president, and chief software architect, while also being its largest individual shareholder until May 2014. He was a pioneer of the microcomputer revolution of the 1970s and 1980s. Seattle, Washington, U.S.
The company was founded on July 4, 2006, by Peter and Lyndon Rive, the cousins of SpaceX and Tesla CEO Elon Musk. Tesla acquired SolarCity in 2016, at a cost of approximately US$2.6 billion (equivalent to $3.3 billion in 2023) and reorganized its solar business into Tesla Energy. Acquired by Tesla, Inc.
Since Hydropanels are a solar-powered technology, SOURCE requires exposure to sunlight to make water. Hydropanel installations in severely cloudy areas may experience lower-than-average production.
The hydropanels produce an average of 3-5 liters of clean drinking water per day (or up to 1.3 gallons). They can operate independently of existing infrastructure, which comes in handy in many areas of the United States.
Nestlé Waters: Nestlé Waters is the largest bottled water company in the world, offering a wide range of brands such as Perrier, S. Pellegrino, and Pure Life. With operations in more than 150 countries, Nestlé Waters has a significant global presence and generates billions of dollars in revenue annually. 2.
At the continental level, America has the largest share of the world's total freshwater resources with 45 percent, followed by Asia with 28 percent, Europe with 15.5 percent and Africa with 9 percent.
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