Water Abundance - Creating Water from Thin Air.
I chose the topic: Water Abundance: Creating Water from Thin Air.
The current status of work on this challenge is advancing. There have been two different solutions brought to the forefront, but there is still major work being contributed to these new ideas. Technology will help meet the challenge by offering efforts and constantly labor replacing human efforts. The two solutions that have been offered are 1) A wind powered generator that collects moisture from the air, and 2) A storage container unit with a generator inside that collects the air, changes the temperature, and collects the condensation to produce water. These solutions have been successful so far, but funding and resources are still being gathered for production to increase.
There are two main groups that have advanced the technology and work done on this particular Grand Challenge, as well as won the XPrize for their solutions. They are:
JMCC WING (XPRIZE Winner) - the McCanney WING Generator Their efforts and the technology being used to solve this challenge are shown here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=12&v=7ozm1CoXzCg&feature=emb_title
The design is based on two existing technologies which both have been crowd funded and/or privately funded and built. The advent of the Water Abundance X-Prize caused the marriage of the two technologies that would not have been possible even a few years ago. The energy source is the McCanney WING Generator, a high torque low cost wind energy system which is used to power the JMCC WING, LLC existing commercial line of Atmospheric Water Generators (AWGs). Water extraction from the air requires large amounts of energy to operate no matter what the process. The Atmospheric Water Generators are simple and rugged. The compressors and fans can operate for years with little maintenance. The fans use 10 % of the energy with the other 90% to operate the compressors which cool the coils to extract the water. They require considerable power to operate but enter the efficient high torque McCanney WING Generator and now the energy can be derived for a low cost from the wind. The energy requirements from traditional energy sources such as the grid, 3 blade wind generators or solar make them too expensive to install and operate. To meet the XPrize stringent requirement of 2 cents per liter, a very efficient natural source of energy is required. This prompted the inclusion of the McCanney WING Generator as the low-cost source of energy. As the WING Generators scale to larger sizes, because they grow in 3 dimensions (not 2 dimensions as is the case with solar and traditional wind systems), and because they produce energy from low to very high wind speeds (they do not have to be shut down in high winds), the comparative cost per unit energy of the WING Generator system decreases exponentially with increasing size.
The Skysource/Skywater Alliance (XPRIZE Winner) - WEDEW https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=1&v=Gu49V0EaIoU&feature=emb_title
WEDEW runs on biomass gasification, which operates at less than 1/10th the cost of solar PV while occupying the area of a single panel. Biomass fuel is available in many parts of the world for little or no cost as the byproducts of agriculture, forestry, and natural disasters. Biomass gasification has competitive advantages when compared to alternative sources of power for atmospheric generation, possessing the convenient benefits of diesel gensets without the harmful effects. Climate Resilience - WEDEW helps communities plan for and respond to global climate change by providing reliable energy and water, which works no matter how volatile the environment becomes. Self-Reliance - WEDEW is a point-of-use system, meaning vulnerable communities are no longer beholden to infrastructure for their water and power. The sustainable exchange of biomass for water around WEDEW can become the cornerstone of local economies. Emergency Response - WEDEW contains everything needed for aid work in a secure, transportable container. It can provide on-demand water and power during emergency events in addition to refrigeration, cooling, and communication.
RAINMAKER - Solar and Wind Powered Generators/ Air-to-Water Units https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=10&v=kniBIYML4IA&feature=emb_logo
The core Air-to-Water unit uses a turbine that forces air through a heat exchanger, where the air is cooled and condensation takes place. A hybrid solution (solar/wind/grid) can be deployed to the same effect by driving a ventilation system. Lowering the temperature of air requires minimal energy. When the temperature falls below its dew point, water droplets will form. These droplets then collect in a water storage compartment. The water production of the Air-to-Water system depends on the environment. The actual amount of water that can be produced in a particular location will depend on the average wind speed, the ambient temperature, and the relative humidity. To make the system work under different conditions, the turbine can be adapted to the environment in which it will be used, such as adjusting the blade diameter and the height of the tower to maximize the efficiency of the unit. The turbine can also be combined with solar and/or traditional power to maximize water production. In each case, the Rainmaker engineers will optimize a solution for every customer. Rainmakers Air-to-Water units use renewable energy and are available in three sizes, producing 5,000, 10,000 or 20,000 liters of drinking water per day.
