Skip to content

You are using an outdated browser

Internet Explorer is not supported by this site and Microsfot has stopped releasing updates, therefore you may encounter issues whilst visiting this site and we strongly recommend that you upgrade your browser for modern web functionality, a better user experience and improved security.

Upgrade my browser

Ingenious Solar-Powered Panels Draw Water from Thin Air For Navajo Families left High and Dry

Source: NavajoPower

Each hydropanel can produce 3-5 liters of water a day, giving 15 two-panel homes up to 10 litres per day.

15 Rapid Access Clean Water Systems Supplied to Navajo Households

Imagine there was a way of pulling vapour directly from the atmosphere and bringing it through taps as clean, drinkable water? Well, by harnessing the power of the sun, Zero Mass Water’s Source “hydro-panels” do precisely that. Through a grant provided by the Unreasonable Group and Barclays Bank, an initial demonstration project is bringing this pioneering air-to-water technology to 15 Navajo households. This project is a joint venture between Navajo Power, Public Benefit Corporation, and Arizona-based Zero Mass Water.

“A standard, two-panel array, produces 4-10 liters of water each day, and has 60 liters of storage capacity. The size of each panel is 4 feet by 8 feet, lasts for 15 years and utilises solar power and a small battery to enable water production,” said Cody Frisen, CEO of Zero Mass Water. “The quality of water produced exceeds the standards of every country where the systems have been deployed.”
Pure water, on tap, out of fresh air. “A standard, two-panel array, produces 4-10 liters of water each day, and has 60 liters of storage capacity. The size of each panel is 4 feet by 8 feet, lasts for 15 years and utilises solar power and a small battery to enable water production,” said Cody Frisen, CEO of Zero Mass Water. “The quality of water produced exceeds the standards of every country where the systems have been deployed.” Source: NavajoPower

hydropanel technology uses the power of the sun to extract clean, safe drinking water from the air

Navajo Power, Public Benefit Corporation, and Zero Mass Water, an Arizona-based manufacturer of SOURCE hydropanel technology, have given and installed an initial 15 rapid access clean water systems to Navajo Households. 

Funded through a grant provided by the Unreasonable Group and Barclays Bank, this initial demonstration project highlights the potential of this innovative technology to help solve the clean water access challenge across the Navajo Nation in this time of COVID-19.  

“We are so happy to see these systems come to our communities who have not had basic access to water for all of these years,” said Mae Franklin of the Cameron and Coalmine communities.

SOURCE hydropanel technology uses the power of the sun to extract clean, safe drinking water from the air

SOURCE is well established with the technology currently supplying clean drinking water to tens of thousands of people in forty-five countries through partnerships with governments, corporations and development organizations. Similar to cellular telephones and renewable energy technologies, the scalability of SOURCE enables hydropanels to be deployed at small residential homes, roof-mounted on schools or community halls, and even in “water farms” adjacent to entire communities.

  • Hydropanels can empower residents living in remote areas to own their own means to a secure, resilient and cost-effective clean drinking and cooking water supply. 
  • As a scalable and rapidly-deployed household solution, SOURCE can deliver the supply of safe drinking water in a far more accessible, resilient and sustainable way than existing solutions such as running pipes. 
  • SOURCE compliments existing water supplies such as wells and rainwater collection offering a faster and more cost-effective path to improve the compliance, health and quality of life in remote communities.  

“A standard, two-panel array, produces 4-10 liters of water each day, and has 60 liters of storage capacity. The size of each panel is 4 feet by 8 feet, lasts for 15 years and utilises solar power and a small battery to enable water production,” said Cody Frisen, CEO of Zero Mass Water. “The quality of water produced exceeds the standards of every country where the systems have been deployed.”

Zero Mass Water and Navajo Power teamed up to suggest  allocating some portion of the CARES Act funding for response to COVID-19 to the mass deployment of these systems to the thousands of households in need.  Navajo Power has distributed several hundred thousand dollars worth of aid and community service in response to COVID with firewood, PPE, and more. 

“We are excited to help shine a light on the potential of Hydropanels to help solve the clean water access challenge our communities have been facing for decades,” said Clara Pratte, President of Navajo Power. “There are thousands of homes without water and this is a more cost effective approach to getting clean water to these families. While our focus as a company is the development of large clean energy projects, our commitment to the well-being of Navajo communities is our north star, and we want to do everything we can to help the Nation mitigate the threats brought by the pandemic.”

Check out our article on Warka Water Towers, drawing water from thin air for rural communities.

Source: NavajoPower

Who is Zero Mass Water? At Zero Mass Water, they set out to fundamentally change the human relationship to water. Source: Facebook/ZeroMassWater
Make an Impact

This September, we can change the course of 2020 for families in rural Mali.

Clean water for 20,000 people in Mali. In one of the harshest places on Earth, in one of the hardest years in history, in the West African country of Mali, the threat of COVID-19, a recently-destabilised government, and an escalating climate crisis have made the need for clean water more urgent than ever. This is an appeal by CharityWater.org