0

WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF

Water purification systems traditionally use huge amounts of energy, but now researchers have managed to re-purpose waste heat from solar panels instead to do the same job.

 

Interested in the Exponential Future? Connect, download a free E-Book, watch a keynote, or browse my blog.

A new device created by researchers at the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology in Saudi Arabia can purify water through solar power. While there have been previous attempts to merge solar power and clean water, the scientists say they have developed a new three-stage system that radically increases efficiency and could help provide countries and farmers with both unlimited energy and pure water.

 

RELATED
Renewable energy sources power up Scotland and Costa Rica

 

The need to combine water purification through clean means is a growing one, giving the rise in man-made climate change. Water scarcity is increasing throughout a variety of places on the planet, from South Africa to India.

“The water-energy nexus is one of the main issues threatening sustainable global development,” says Wenbin Wang, a Ph.D. student at the University’s Water Desalination and Reuse Center, in a press statement.

 

Future PV farm might produce water as well as electricity. Credit: Wenbing Wang

 

To combat the problem, the KAUST team looked at solar panels holistically. Silicon solar panels take in around 20 percent of the light they absorb, converting them into electricity. While that number is increasing, in some cases with a pathway to a staggering 80 percent efficiency, scientists predict that no photovoltaic (PV) panel will be able to absorb more than around 27 percent of the light in their current format. That leaves a significant amount of light being reflected, which generates heat.

 

RELATED
Futuristic 300 meter nuclear powered superyacht recruits billionaires to save the world

 

The team, led by Professor Peng Wang of the Reuse Center, looked to put that heat to work.

“The PV panel generates a lot of heat, and the heat is considered a headache in PV,” Wang tells Cosmos. “The uniqueness of the device lies in its smart and effective use of the waste heat of the PV as a resource, which leads to its high efficiency in both electricity and fresh water production.”

To capture the heat, the team built out a stack of water channels, separated by porous hydrophobic membranes and heat conduction layers. These layers were attached to the bottom of a commercial PV panel. Heat from the panel would vaporize seawater in the top channel, cross through the porous membrane, and then finally condense as fresh water in the third channel.

 

RELATED
Researchers obliterate world record for solar cell efficiency, almost reach 50 percent

 

The team also put the vapor of the seawater to use. A thermal conduction layer to the next seawater channel would collect its heat, allowing the machine to recycle that energy and create even more fresh water.

In tests, the team was able to generate up to 1.64 liters of water per square meter of solar panel surface every hour.

“In a sense, it utilizes solar energy to a much fuller capacity,” Wang tells Cosmos.

 

RELATED
Scientists have created the coldest object in the Universe

 

The next step for the team is to try and expand its project to the extent that it would be viable for agriculture. Many innovations in agriculture, like vertical farming, attempt to save water. Being able to use saltwater for farms could radically change how water is consumed around the world. In the US alone, farming represents approximately 80 percent of the country’s consumptive water use.

“Raising sheep in the field of PV farms is feasible because grass grows well using the fresh water from solar-panel washing,” Wenbin says in the press statement. “A PV farm with sheep grazing while seawater is desalinated using our device could be ideal in arid regions near the coast.”

About author

Matthew Griffin

Matthew Griffin, described as “The Adviser behind the Advisers” and a “Young Kurzweil,” is the founder and CEO of the World Futures Forum and the 311 Institute, a global Futures and Deep Futures consultancy working between the dates of 2020 to 2070, and is an award winning futurist, and author of “Codex of the Future” series. Regularly featured in the global media, including AP, BBC, Bloomberg, CNBC, Discovery, RT, Viacom, and WIRED, Matthew’s ability to identify, track, and explain the impacts of hundreds of revolutionary emerging technologies on global culture, industry and society, is unparalleled. Recognised for the past six years as one of the world’s foremost futurists, innovation and strategy experts Matthew is an international speaker who helps governments, investors, multi-nationals and regulators around the world envision, build and lead an inclusive, sustainable future. A rare talent Matthew’s recent work includes mentoring Lunar XPrize teams, re-envisioning global education and training with the G20, and helping the world’s largest organisations envision and ideate the future of their products and services, industries, and countries. Matthew's clients include three Prime Ministers and several governments, including the G7, Accenture, Aon, Bain & Co, BCG, Credit Suisse, Dell EMC, Dentons, Deloitte, E&Y, GEMS, Huawei, JPMorgan Chase, KPMG, Lego, McKinsey, PWC, Qualcomm, SAP, Samsung, Sopra Steria, T-Mobile, and many more.

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *