Latest news with #solarDesalination
Sustainability Times
09-07-2025
- Science
- Sustainability Times
'This Miracle Device Will Save Millions': MIT Scientists Unleash High-Flow Solar Desalinator Flooding Communities With Gallons of Pure Freshwater Every Hour
IN A NUTSHELL 🌞 MIT and Shanghai Jiao Tong University have innovated a solar desalination system to produce affordable potable water. and Shanghai Jiao Tong University have innovated a solar desalination system to produce affordable potable water. 🔄 The system utilizes a multistage process mimicking thermohaline circulation for efficient evaporation and condensation. for efficient evaporation and condensation. 💧 Prototypes can produce 1 to 1.5 gallons of drinkable water per hour, offering a cost-effective solution compared to tap water. 🌍 This innovation has the potential to address global water scarcity by providing sustainable, renewable water sources. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) has once again pushed the boundaries of technological innovation with a groundbreaking new development in solar desalination. This revolutionary system, designed in collaboration with Shanghai Jiao Tong University, promises to make potable water more affordable by harnessing the power of the sun. By utilizing a unique multistage evaporation and condensation process, this system could potentially produce freshwater at a lower cost than traditional tap water. As the world grapples with increasing water scarcity, this innovation offers a beacon of hope for sustainable water solutions. The Science Behind Solar Desalination The newly developed solar desalination system employs a series of evaporators and condensers organized in multiple stages. This setup mimics the natural process of thermohaline circulation found in oceans, where water movement is driven by differences in water density due to temperature and salinity variations. In this system, the solar heat is used to create conditions for water to circulate in swirling patterns. As the water evaporates, the salt is left behind, and the resulting water vapor is condensed into pure, drinkable water. Each component of the device is meticulously designed to enhance efficiency. The system is divided into two parts: the upper section, where seawater is heated and evaporated, and the lower section, where condensation takes place. By employing a dark, heat-absorbing material, the system maximizes the absorption of solar energy, thus optimizing the desalination process. The use of thermohaline convection not only prevents salt accumulation but also ensures a continuous flow of desalinated water, making the system exceptionally resilient and sustainable. Revolutionary Solar Tech Unveiled: Ultra-Efficient Panels with Breakthrough Nanolayers Set to Transform Energy at Lightning Speed Prototype Performance and Potential The MIT research team constructed prototypes with varying stages of complexity—single, triple, and ten-stage models. These prototypes were tested using natural seawater and water with salinity levels up to seven times higher. The results were impressive: a device scaled to the size of a small suitcase could produce between 1 and 1.5 gallons of potable water per hour. With such efficiency, the system holds the potential to provide drinking water at a cost lower than that of tap water. One of the standout features of this system is its longevity. The prototypes demonstrated extreme resistance to salt buildup, successfully conducting continuous desalination over 180 hours with highly concentrated seawater. This durability indicates that the system components could last several years before needing replacement, making it a viable long-term solution for water-scarce regions. As such, the solar desalination system represents a significant step forward in sustainable water production. '56,000 Homes Become a Power Plant': California Firm Creates Largest Virtual Energy Source in US With Revolutionary Grid-Sharing Tech Global Implications and Applications Water scarcity is a pressing issue affecting numerous countries worldwide, including both developed and developing nations. The introduction of this solar desalination technology could have profound implications for regions struggling with limited access to clean water. The ability to produce affordable potable water using solar energy aligns perfectly with global sustainability goals and offers a versatile solution adaptable to various climates and environments. Moreover, the technology's scalability allows it to be deployed in different settings, from small rural communities to larger urban areas. As solar technology continues to advance and become more cost-effective, integrating such systems into existing water infrastructure could revolutionize water accessibility. With the added benefit of reducing reliance on traditional water sources, this innovation could play a pivotal role in addressing water scarcity challenges across the globe. 'This Defies Everything We Knew': Sun-Powered Sponge Turns Saltwater Into Freshwater Without Using a Single Watt of Electricity Future Prospects and Research Directions While the current results are promising, further research and development are essential to optimize and commercialize the solar desalination system. Future studies could focus on enhancing the system's efficiency, reducing costs, and exploring integration with other renewable energy sources. Additionally, expanding testing to different environmental conditions and larger scales could provide valuable insights into the system's adaptability and performance. The collaborative effort between institutions like MIT and Shanghai Jiao Tong University exemplifies the power of international cooperation in tackling global challenges. As research continues, the potential for this technology to transform water accessibility and sustainability remains vast. The journey towards widespread implementation is just beginning, and the impact of this innovation could be far-reaching. As the world faces increasing environmental challenges, innovations like MIT's solar desalination system offer a glimpse of hope for a sustainable future. By harnessing the power of renewable energy, we can address critical issues such as water scarcity and resource management. What other groundbreaking solutions might emerge from ongoing research and collaboration to combat global water crises? This article is based on verified sources and supported by editorial technologies. Did you like it? 4.6/5 (25)
Yahoo
25-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Mass Megawatts Announces Three Patent Pending Innovations Toward Reducing Solar Desalination Cost to Be the Same as Tap Water in the $26 Billion Desalination Market
Worcester, Massachusetts--(Newsfile Corp. - June 25, 2025) - Mass Megawatts (OTC Pink: MMMW) announces three new patent pending innovations with the goal toward reducing the cost of the Solar Desalination to the same cost as tap water. Two of the new innovations are related to wind energy and aerodynamic principles. The third innovation is related to solar technology and solar albedo effect analysis. The global Desalination market, currently valued at $26 billion a year, is expected to grow to more than $40 billion before 2033. Several devices have been introduced to efficiently desalinate salt water and attempt to eliminate the clogging of the desalination process with the accumulation of salt on parts of the system during the process using a substantial amount of electricity and expensive materials. Recent advances avoiding the cost of electricity and expensive material hold significant promise for low-cost seawater desalination. However, salt accumulation is a key obstacle for reliable adoption. Our new technology demonstrates a more efficient method of salt transport enabled with localized solar concentration and salt rejection. It also offers a strategy for high performance solar evaporation. The primary goal is removing the "salt foul" caused by the salt accumulation which is largely caused by slow moving water with an increasing salt density due to the ongoing evaporation in the solar desalination process. At the same time, the new technology uses low-cost materials to reduce the capital cost of the solar desalination units. With the objective of reducing each square meter of the solar desalination unit to a cost of less than four dollars, desalinated water can be delivered at a cost less than tap water. In three specific areas, the new technologies are a serious improvement of the most advanced recent research in solar desalination technologies of passive salt rejection techniques. One innovation uses wind energy related aerodynamic principles for creating an optimal shape for the microchannel diffusers toward enhancing aquadynamic (water related aerodynamic behavior). The new technology reduces turbulence for more salt efficient salt rejection. It is an important step toward avoiding salt accumulation on the solar desalination process. Specifically, using an aerodynamically optimal shaped microchannels, the salt can be pulled rather than pushed through the microchannels like a wind diffuser pulling air through a small tunnel area since the pressure is lower with less salt particles on the cold side of the barrier with microchannels. The aerodynamic enhancing shape of both the input area (upper hot area) and the diffuser (lower cold bulk water area) allows a swift and steady salt rejection without the turbulence of previous methods that would slow down the salt rejection process and cause salt accumulation. The second innovation related to wind power is the understanding of the power cubed formula and its strong impact in the development of a redundancy reinforcement to prevent salt accumulation facilitated by the swift underwater movement of the platforms of microchannel diffusers twice a day during a cleaning process near the time of low tide. Using independent floats for the solar heating platform and the microchannel diffuser platforms, the twice a day cleaning process can be performed. The third innovation is related to solar energy. The new solar desalination system uses a low cost and optimally shaped stationary solar reflectors in conjunction to an optimally shaped heated surface area of the solar desalination process for turbocharging the salt rejection process. Using the Mass Megawatts solar tracker shown on our company's web site there can be further improvement of the solar desalination performance for a small additional cost. The company's Solar Tracking System (STS) is a new patent pending product that significantly reduces the payback period for solar power investments. It is designed to automatically adjust the position of solar panels to directly face the sun as it travels from East to West throughout the day. Unlike other solar tracking technologies, the Mass Megawatts Solar Tracker utilizes a low-cost framework that adds stability to the overall system, while improving energy production levels. This press release contains forward-looking statements that could be affected by risks and uncertainties. Among the factors that could cause actual events to differ materially from those indicated herein are: the failure of Mass Megawatts Wind Power (MMMW), also known as Mass Megawatts Windpower, to achieve or maintain necessary zoning approvals with respect to the location of its power developments; the ability to remain competitive; to finance the marketing and sales of its electricity; general economic conditions; and other risk factors detailed in periodic reports filed by Mass Megawatts Wind Power (MMMW). Contact: info@ To view the source version of this press release, please visit Error while retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data
