A team led by US architect David Hertz has developed an energy-efficient technology for harvesting fresh drinking water from the air, which is contained within a shipping container for easy transport.
The WEDEW system, can generate 2,000 litres of water per day by combining cold and hot air to create condensation, in a manner that replicates the way clouds are formed.
Created by US partnership the Skysource/Skywater Alliance, it was the winner of the recent Water Abundance XPRIZE. This two-year development competition aimed to find the best system of atmospheric water generation (AWG) ? a process where water is drawn out of the air via condensation.

AWG can be used to help areas where water scarcity or quality are a problem. However, existing technologies have come with a high carbon footprint. The Water Abundance XPRIZE was set up to reward an energy-efficient demonstration of the method. Competitors had to extract a minimum of 2,000 litres of water per day from the atmosphere using 100 per cent renewable energy, at a cost of no more than two cents per litre.
Skysource/Skywater Alliance's winning entry, WEDEW (it stands for wood-to-energy deployed emergency water), not only has its own 100 per cent renewable energy source, it is carbon-negative ? meaning it generates extra energy that can be used by the local community. The WEDEW units are said to work in any climate.

"More fresh water exists in the atmosphere than all the rivers on earth, yet we haven't tappe...