Zero Mass Water makes solar panel arrays that pull clean drinking water from the air.
Zero Mass arrays could come in handy in areas where water sources are far away or scarce.
In 2015, it launched its first product, Source — a solar panel array that harvests and filters water from vapour in the air.
The company has installed the devices in nine countries, including Chile, Jordan, Peru and the US, where it became available in late 2017.
Each panel costs R31,200 (plus a R6,200 installation fee) and generates an average of 2 to 5 litres of water daily, depending on levels of humidity and sunlight.
The device adds minerals to increase the water’s pH levels (to make it taste more like bottled water), and stores the water underneath the panels in a reservoir that can hold 30 litres.
Friesen said the company’s ideal customer is everyone.
Duke Energy has also deployed panels in Ecuador, and Zero Mass received a USAID grant to install panels in refugee camps in Jordan and Lebanon in 2015.
Friesen added that maintaining the device is low-cost.
"We want to perfect water for every person and every place," Friesen said.