Southern Nevada is in the grip of one of the worst droughts it has experienced in recorded history, leading to water shortages and restrictions on use. So, in water-stressed areas such as this, the prospect of wringing water from thin air is an appealing prospect. And it is exactly what Cody Friesen is trying to do.
Friesen, an associate professor of materials science at Arizona State University, has developed a solar-powered hydropanel that can absorb water vapour at high volumes when exposed to sunlight.
It is a modern-day twist on an approach been used for centuries to pull water from the atmosphere, such as using trees or nets to “catch” fog in Peru, a practice that dates back to the 1500s and is still being used today.
Yeah, this isn’t even an area where it’s a matter of technology getting better, or something like that. With high school level physics, you can calculate the amount of energy something like this would consume in perfect conditions and a perfectly functioning system.
It’s all just the economics of energy and how water should be used to determine when it makes sense to use a system like this. If you have an off-grid house that’s generating more energy than can be stored or otherwise used, sure, fire up the dehumidifier.