Using PV to produce potable water from humidity

A Chilean startup, Lader Energy has commissioned the first solar project using solar energy to produce high-quality drinking water from the humidity in the air.

The first plant is located in San Fernando, Chile, but there are plans in the works to expand to Colombia and Peru.

The system is based on hydro panels, which capture the humidity from the air and following a condensation process, produce water by combining solar PV energy with solar thermal energy.

In 2019, Lader Energy took the first three hydro- panels to Chile to test and validate the technology. It gave incredible results, bringing this to a business model that is scalable,

According to the company, around 10,000 liters of 100% renewable water can be produced per month. US manufacturer Zero Mass Water by Source is supplying the module technology

The panel is mineralized with calcium and magnesium. A system of various water filtration and recirculation processes are part of this technology that are fed by a solar installation.

The process ensures that a high-quality water is produced, thanks to an ultraviolet light disinfection system and an activated carbon filter with coconut fibers.

Lader Energy’s first plant features 62 hydr- panels, with a production capacity of 10,000 liters per month. That equals production of 33,000 containers per month in this first phase.

The company now plans to expand the first plant and aims to triple production this year. It also hopes to install another plant in Colombia, near Medellín. By 2022 the goal is to build two more plants in Chile, a second in Colombia and one in Peru.