Would the yield be enough given the power it requires? Much like the desalination process that requires too much energy to make it viable?
this post was submitted on 25 Feb 2025
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I guess in places like deserts where you have tons of sunlight but hardly any water using photovoltaic to get water out of the air is probably feasable and cheaper than many alternatives.
Yes, and I could see wind turbines charging batteries during the windiest hours, and the batteries powering the moisture collectors during foggy hours.
Let's also remember that high voltage doesn't necessarily mean high wattage. This prototype runs on a small battery.
i remember these kinda discussions from a few years ago, when waterseer had a similar idea.
how well these devices work is strongly related to how humid the air is.
and the places where these kind of devices would actually be useful (like deserts) have very low humidity,
to the point were there is almost no water in the air to be harvested.
atmospheric water harvesting has only been somewhat feasible in environments that usually have better methods to get water,
and even there they are ineficcient to the point where people consider it a scam
Did you read the article or watch the video?
Of course deserts have low humidity, but there are areas where in the early morning winds from off shore bring in humid air for a small period of the day. This can be harvested now with nets, although the article and video cover using electrified mesh to increase the yield.
If you look up for harvesting the first photo in the link is from a desert in Chile. It's been studied since the late 60's.
I could make one of these, but first I'll need to go to Tosche Station to pick up some power converters.
Arakis, Dune, Desert Planet.
Sadly, this sort of stuff is going to be needed more and more around the globe.