Zero Mass Water creates water out of sunlight

Arizona is notorious for getting a lot of sunlight and being very hot because of it. Scottsdale-based engineering firm Zero Mass Water is using these factors to its advantage.

Zero Mass Water developed a hydropanel called SOURCE, which converts sunlight and air into drinkable water. In fact, as of now, it is the only technology in the world that can create high-quality drinking water without the use of additional electric or water supply.

For those interested in the science behind the hydropanels, Zero Mass Water CEO Dr. Cody Friesen shares the basic steps. “Water vapor from the ambient air is drawn into SOURCE via fans and adsorbs onto special hygroscopic material,” Friesen notes. “Sunlight is used to desorb the water, essentially distilling it inside SOURCE, producing pure water. The liquid water flows into a reservoir where it is mineralized with calcium and magnesium for optimum health and taste.”

According to Friesen, a standard hydropanel array in a residential neighborhood generates between three hundred and six hundred 16-ounce bottles of water per month. This is enough to fully support a family of four’s drinking and cooking water needs.

This groundbreaking technology is not only effective, but it is also eco-friendly; it generates little to no carbon footprint. Friesen’s goal is to make drinking water available for as many people as possible around the globe.

“SOURCE puts the power of safe, high-quality water production into the hands of every person in nearly every climate and corner of the world,” Friesen said. “Entirely off-grid, SOURCE Hydropanels make high-quality drinking water on-site so you don’t have to rely on bottled or tap water. SOURCE Hydropanel arrays have been installed in everyday households and on larger facilities like hotels, schools, and community centers in 18 countries across five continents.”

Not only does it have an environmental impact, but it can also contribute to economies nationally and globally. Because of their mission to provide drinking water to as many people as they can, they work with governments, non-governmental organizations, multilateral agencies, and nonprofits to scale their impact around the world. By utilizing optimal business practices, they are able to expand efficiently and contribute tax revenue to the economies in which they reside.

Bill Gates’s venture capitalist firm, Breakthrough Energy Ventures, was so impressed by Zero Mass Water’s ability to mitigate climate change that it invested an unreleased sum to the firm.

“If we as a society are going to provide potable water to every person on the planet, a solution like SOURCE is necessary to both mitigate current contributors to our carbon footprint, but also provide an off-ramp to additional carbon contributions as humans live ever better lives,” Friesen said. “Water is the most important resource any of us have.”

Zero Mass Water is working wonders to make that integral resource available for everyone, regardless of socioeconomic status or location.