Using the Sun to Produce Water From Thin Air

As highlighted in a news story put out by CNBC this week, CEO of Source Global, Cody Friesen, invented innovative solar panel tech that, instead of generating electricity, creates water from the air!

Friesen invented the panels in 2014 at Arizona State University's Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering, where he is on the faculty. A year later, Source Global was born (AZ-based); today, the company has come to market with the panels that cost approx. $2,000 per array.

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"We take sunlight and air and we can produce perfect drinking water essentially anywhere on the planet," CEO Friesen said.

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Source Global and its panels are so impressive, that they've caught the attention (and money of Bill Gates and Blackrock. Source's hydropanels are now installed in 52 countries in 450 separate projects. The company has raised $150 million from investors including Bill Gates’ Breakthrough Energy Ventures, BlackRock, Duke Energy, and the Lightsmith Group.

Source Global's hydropanels create water out of thin air and bring it where it's most needed, at a time when the world can use it most. This is especially important as more and more regions across the globe are becoming water challenged, and more populations are at greater risk for drought and lack of consumable water. Friesen expanded with CNBC, saying, "We take sunlight and air and we can produce perfect drinking water essentially anywhere on the planet," Friesen said. "And so we take water that has historically been probably humanity's greatest challenge and turn it into a renewable resource that is perfect essentially everywhere."

You might be wondering what's behind the tech of these world-changing solar panels.

The SOURCE® Hydropanels incorporate multiple patented inventions alongside proprietary trade secrets, making it a one-of-a-kind renewable water technology that uses the power of the sun to extract clean, pollutant-free drinking water from the air. The collected water is then mineralized for ideal composition and taste, making premium-quality drinking water a readily available resource. (2022 SOURCE Global, PBC.)

Additionally, The SOURCE® Hydropanels eliminate the need for, "54,000 single-use plastic water bottles over its 15-year lifespan" (2022 SOURCE Global).

Its impact is already being felt around the world - in 2018, Source had installed an array of 40 hydropanels in Kenya, where members of the Samburu Girls Foundation faced daily danger on their journeys to find water. They now have their own water source.

"We can now make perfect (mineral-infused) water - at your home, at your school, in your community in a way that is really bringing it into the 21st century" said Friesen.

That pretty much says it all! The SOURCE® Hydropanels are an undeniably world-changing, problem-solving technology. We're looking forward to seeing its positive impact across the globe. Very exciting, indeed!

Credited Sources Include:

Olick, Diana. “Bill Gates and Blackrock Are Backing the Start-up behind Hydropanels That Make Water out of Thin Air.” CNBC, CNBC, 29 Mar. 2022, https://www.cnbc.com/2022/03/28/bill-gates-and-blackrock-backing-source-global-maker-of-hydropanels.html.

“About Source Mineralized Water.” SOURCE Water, 13 Jan. 2022, https://www.source.co/source-mineralized-water/.