SkySource WEDEW

SkySource WEDEW has been named one of the Times best inventions of 2020. This technology won the grand prize of the Water Abundance XPrize competition for 2020 as well. WEDEW stands for Wood-to-Energy Deployable Emergency Water. This technology is contained in a unit or multiple units that are roughly the size of a storage container. The unit can be moved around to meet the greatest need in an area. It can provide, water, electricity, refrigeration, cooling, and communication in case of an emergency. This technology is also impressive because it does not rely on existing infrastructure to function. So how does it work? WEDEW runs on biomass gasification. Biomass such as plants in the area can be turned into gas which can be used for creating electricity. The only other byproducts are biochar. The biochar can be used as fertilizer to grow crops. The electricity that is produced can be used to run an atmospheric water generator. This machine pulls water vapor out of the air and condenses it into liquid. The WEDEW generator has the capacity to produce 2,000 liters of potable water per day.

It is exciting to find a technology that is capable of producing this quantity of water with net zero carbon emissions. Using biomass from plants or animal materials which can be found almost everywhere in the world as a source of power for this machine ensures that it will work almost anywhere. The fact that it does not rely on existing infrastructure means that it can be implemented in any community regardless of how remote they are. Furthermore, biomass can be used to boost local economies. Jobs can be created to harvest and grow biomass just for use in the machine. Biochar can also be used to boost soil quality and increase plant yield to continue to run the machine. Clean drinking water is a necessity for people all over the world and unfortunately many do not have access to it. However technologies like SkySource WEDEW can change that.

https://www.skysource.org/wedew