ADB, NEA pilot-test off-grid technology for drinking water

MANILA, Philippines — The Asian Development Bank (ADB) is pilot-testing with the National Electrification Administration (NEA) an off-grid technology for the production of drinking water that requires only sunlight and air.

The multilateral finance institution said yesterday it is already a year into the deployment of Source Hydropanels with NEA in eight island communities.

The pilot, which would run for two years, would be carried out in areas covered by the following electric cooperatives: Pangasinan Electric Cooperative, First Bukidnon Electric Cooperative, Agusan del Sur Electric Cooperative, Davao del Sur Electric Cooperative, Samar II Electric Cooperative, Davao del Norte Electric Cooperative and Misamis Occidental Electric Cooperative

“If the system can demonstrate financial viability, maybe we can finance it on a commercial basis. If it is a government project, we can still consider whether it can be concessional funding, cheaper funding. And if that is the case, we prefer to work with a government entity like NEA,” said ADB Energy Sector Group chief Yongping Zhai during its formal launch at the bank’s headquarters yesterday.

Source Hydropanels, which was developed by US-based Zero Mass Water Inc. (ZMW), extracts water vapor from the air through a proprietary absorbent material. The water is stored in a reservoir where it is mineralized with calcium for health and taste benefits. Source panels are connected to a mesh network which allows real time monitoring of production quantity and quality.

Zhai said ADB provided NEA a grant covering the acquisition of 40 units costing $2,000 each.

“It is a small grant to demonstrate the viability of the system. We also want to see if the beneficiaries will appreciate it and if there are difficulties in using this,” he said.

Zhai said the deployment of Source Hydropanels would help address water supply problems in rural and off-grid areas, especially in small islands that lack access to electricity and water.

Four of such units have also been installed at the rooftop of the bank’s headquarters last year to showcase the technology for possible implementation in various parts of the country. ZMW partnered with local firm Green Heat Corp. in the installation of the units.