Solar energy and access to drinking water
A lack of drinking water affects some two-thirds of the world’s population. The communities most vulnerable to shortages very often live in close proximity to water (whether the sea, rivers or underground waterholes) but are unable to tap these resources due to contamination or because there is no access to electricity, needed to operate conventional purification systems. For these populations, an autonomous solar-powered solution would be a life-line.
Clean, healthy water is a rare commodity. Incredibly, only 1% of the planet’s water is suitable for human consumption. While 70% of the earth’s surface is covered by water, 97.5% percent of it is salt water. Of the 2.5% freshwater remaining, nearly 68.7% is solid, frozen in ice blocks, icebergs and glaciers.
Paradoxically, a large proportion of people without access to drinking water live in areas where there is no shortage of water. But in many cases the water that surrounds them is contaminated or salty and therefore needs to be purified. However most of the purification systems available today rely on electricity - a source of energy that’s non-existant in many poor or remote areas. In regions that are arid or where water is rare, the situation is often even worse. Overall, it is estimated that two-thirds of the world’s population does not have access to a sufficient supply of healthy drinking water.
Water shortages pose major problems on a daily basis to people living in Africa, Asia, the Pacific, South America and southern Europe. In the world’s worst affected areas, where the price of oil and lack of infrastructure make traditional solutions impractical and unrealistic, water shortages threaten economic growth, damage the environment and constitute a major risk of widespread disease.
Burgeoning demographics mean the problem is worsening daily, with the demand for water doubling each year in Asia and Africa. In India alone, an additional 650,000m3 of drinking water will be required by 2015.
Not surprisingly, the world expects governments, local communities and NGOs to put projects in place that address the issues related to drinking water shortages.
Existing solutions
Traditional solutions depend mainly on fuel or electricity. These not only increase CO2 emissions, but are limited in scope and reach as many affected areas have no access to reliable sources of energy.
In other words, these conventional solutions cannot be used in the poorest, most isolated communities that are in the greatest need of relief. As a result, lack of drinking water remains a major problem in many parts of the world.
The answer: solar energy
Thanks to today’s solar power technology, there is a natural, viable alternative. One of the major advantages of solar energy is that it can power a system such as a purification station autonomously, with no need for an electric grid or fossil fuels.
Capitalizing on the high levels of solar radiation in hot, dry climates, SwissINSO has developed a self-contained, solar-powered water purification system that operates independently of external fuel sources. The mobile unit is easy to install even in the most remote regions and requires no external infrastructure.
By combining the most advanced technologies to harness the sun’s energy, it is possible to fulfil the most basic human need without harming the environment or depleting energy resources.
