June 22, 2018 | 12:01 am By Victor V. Saulon, Sub-Editor
THE Asian Development Bank (ADB) has
backed a new technology that produces drinking water from sunlight and air,
after first testing it on its headquarters’ rooftop ahead of preparing its
application in eight electric cooperatives in remote areas of the Philippines.
“We gave grant money,” Yongping
Zhai, ADB’s energy sector chief said during the launch of the technology in the
Philippines on Thursday.
“This grant is $2,000 multipled by
40,” he said, referring to the cost of putting up each unit of that technology
under a brand called “Source Hydropanel” and the number to be installed in the
coming months.
Source Hydropanel is an off-grid,
solar-powered technology that extracts water vapor from the air into a
proprietary absorbent material. The water flows into a reservoir where it is
mineralized with calcium and magnesium. The last process is meant to ensure the
water meets health and taste considerations.
The technology was developed by
US-based Zero Mass Water, Inc. (ZMW) and brought to the country in
collaboration with its local partner Green Heat Corp.
The two companies installed four of
the hydropanels on the rooftop of ADB’s headquarters in Mandaluyong City in
2017. Each hydropanel is capable of producing up to 5 liters of potable water
per day.
“The Philippines’ fragmented
geography adds extra barriers for reliance on traditional water infrastructure,
yet makes it ideal for our technology to provide families, communities and
businesses with drinking water,” said Cody Friesen, founder and chief executive
officer of ZMW.
Apart from the ADB hydropanels, Mr.
Friesen said eight units had been installed at the National Electrification
Administration (NEA) headquarters in Quezon City.
Mr. Zhai said the 40 hydropanels
would be installed in electric cooperatives in eight Philippine provinces,
namely: Pangasinan, Bukidnon, Agusan del Sur, Davao del Sur, Bohol, Samar,
Davao del Norte and Misamis Occidental.
“Once this is installed, money will
be disbursed,” he said.
Glenn O. Tong, director at Green
Heat, said solar hydropanel is perfect for the Philippines because it is a
self-sufficient, low-maintenance technology and combines well with other solar
photovoltaic systems.
“We have experienced many drinking
water shortages here in the Philippines, which is why we need to look into
renewable solutions that won’t add strain to our already overburdened grid,” he
said.
Aside from producing drinking water,
the hydropanels can also help reduce the amount of plastic waste generated in
the country.
Based on estimates from ZMW, each
hydropanel can displace up to 5,000 standard water bottles and provides “high-quality,
delicious drinking water.”
Mr. Friesen said the application of
the technology could be far-reaching in the Philippines and could include
hotels, resorts, schools and villages in rural areas with no access to potable
water.
Green Heat is the distributor of
Source technology in the country. It is looking at its partnership with ZMW to
scale up the application of the hydropanels. It has previously set up the solar
energy systems of a number of entities in the Philippines, including ADB, Asia
Brewery, Inc., Manuel L. Quezon University, St. Scholastica’s Academy of
Marikina and Manila Electric Co.’s solar photovoltaic center.
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