Residents of Belize’s Caye Caulker Island have begun using solar power to harvest fresh water from the air after shipments to the island were delayed due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Islanders are using 23 solar-powered hydropanels from Zero Mass Water to convert airborne moisture into potable water.

Caye Caulker Island, which sits just 20 miles off the coast of Belize, was formed by a mix of sand and limestone coral, which does a relatively poor job of filtering salt from the water that’s drawn into the ground from the sea. As a result of this, the island’s residents have relied mostly on shipments of bottled water that came by cargo ship from the mainland.

Belize reported its first case of COVID-19 on March 23. According to the Johns Hopkins University tally, it currently has 18 cases and two deaths as of reporting time. The country declared a state of emergency on April 1, closing its borders and preventing people from going outside between the hours of 8 p.m. and 5 a.m. for 30 days.

The declaration has negatively impacted Caye Caulker. Aside from curbing tourism, the island’s main source of revenue, the measures have delayed shipping, preventing the island from getting its regular deliveries of water.

Drawing water from airborne moisture

The solar hydropanels were originally installed on the roof of the local Roman Catholic School and Community Center in 2019 as part of the Caribbean Climate Smart Island Program, and funded by the Inter-American Development Bank.

Zero Mass’ panels work similarly to dehumidifiers to harvest water. Fans draw air into a compartment, where the solar panels then heat it, converting the water in the air molecules into steam. This steam is then passed through a special material that absorbs moisture from the air, channeling it into a special reservoir where it’s cooled into liquid water.

“They work by using solar thermal energy to heat the surrounding air, and using solar-powered fans to move the heated air over a hygroscopic material inside the hydropanel,” said Zero Mass Water CEO and co-founder Cody Friesen to Newsweek.

According to Zero Mass, the hydropanels can produce about 911 gallons of water a month under optimal conditions — the equivalent of 30 gallons a day.

Zero Mass Water’s hydropanels have been criticized as being too costly for the relatively small amount of water they generate; public utilities in less isolated regions of the world can provide water for less.

The average cost of 1,000 gallons of water in the U.S. is about $1.50; far less than producing the same amount using the $5,500 hydropanels. Meanwhile. the average American consumes around 300 gallons of water daily, between drinking, using the toilet, doing the dishes, bathing and other uses. This is about one-third of the ideal monthly output from the 23 hydropanels on the island.

However, the ongoing coronavirus pandemic has seemingly given the technology a clear use as a fallback source of water during emergencies.

Providing emergency water

Prior to the installation of the hydropanels, local officials state that Caye Caulker already experienced water shortages during certain seasons.

“Before this installation, the school and health center would purchase water directly from our provider, who would ship it to us in plastic bottles,” said Seleny Villanueva-Pott, chair of the Caye Caulker Village Council. “In the dry season, sometimes water would run low, meaning the island could go a few days without it. Now the children at the primary school and people who visit the Health Center have a constant supply.”

The coronavirus pandemic has made water even more important. The World Health Organization has emphasized the importance of handwashing in slowing the spread of the virus. This puts extra strain on what is, in places like Caye Caulker, an already limited resource. (Related: UV camera image reveals how proper handwashing slows down the spread of coronavirus.)

Caye Caulker isn’t the only place benefitting from the hydropanels. According to Friesen, Zero Mass has carried out projects to install their hydropanels in over 40 countries.

“We’re working to bring renewable water to people facing water stress as quickly as possible,” he said. “Access to clean water is a human rights issue, the better access people have to clean water, the more happy, fair and productive their lives can be.”

Sources include:

DailyMail.co.uk

Newsweek.com