Time Is Energy

One solution to some of the world's water problems

Below is a snap of a portable solar water distiller, my other invention. I think this type of device could solve drinking water problems in the numerous hot sunny places where clean water is scarce.

The device requires sunlight and water to work. The water going into it can be dirty, salty, discolored, arsenic tainted, bacteria infested, or all of these combined, and what comes out is good safe drinking water.

Despite its simplicity, I have been working on this invention for some time. Water production is at ~ a gallon/day, which is half of what I believe it can produce with the 2 sq. m. mirror you see. The whole thing is portable (under 40 lbs if memory serves) and disassembles easily. The mirror is flexible and rolls up into a poster tube.

I have always thought this would be of great use to the Red Cross or some UN relief agency which could ship/airlift several hundred into an area following a disaster. They could set up in a central location or distribute them to individuals/small families who could take home and make their own drinking water. Kind of the cell phone of water infrastructure.

Anyway there is still development work to be done. My main strategy going forward is to improve thermal management--reduce heat losses in the pan & increase heat loss (i.e. condensation) in the roof section.

I was hoping to get data with my newest latest design, but that may take months. My latest version is stuck in my supplier's backlog, and I may not get it this summer (aargh!). As if only having three months to test solar devices (near Chicago) wasn't a big enough drag.

Update 8/17 5pm...Almost forgot, this is a patent pending design. Still, I would enjoy working with groups or companies that have an interest in using the design, please have them contact me.

8/23 Edit: oops that link didn't work so well...photo added below (cross-fingers).

posted by Daniel @ 1:54 PM