During six-month trials in New Mexico, the system harnessed 94% of the energy generated by the solar panels, maintaining a constant production of drinking water even with fluctuating weather, producing up to 5,000 liters of drinking water per day without the need for batteries or an external power source.
It looks like it’s just a test/demo of plumbing reverse osmosis desalination directly into solar power. I’m guessing there is mechanical energy buffering in the system, meaning that batteries aren’t required to smooth power flow out.
For me, the question of how innovative it is comes down to kW input per gallon output. Doesn’t matter to me if the power in is coming from solar, coal, nuclear, or hamsters in generator wheels, the efficiency of the system still comes down to power input and space required.
It looks like it’s just a test/demo of plumbing reverse osmosis desalination directly into solar power. I’m guessing there is mechanical energy buffering in the system, meaning that batteries aren’t required to smooth power flow out.
For me, the question of how innovative it is comes down to kW input per gallon output. Doesn’t matter to me if the power in is coming from solar, coal, nuclear, or hamsters in generator wheels, the efficiency of the system still comes down to power input and space required.