An announcement made by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) highlighted its support for an innovative technology that will improve access to quality drinking water in urban and remote areas of the Philippines through the use of hydropanels.
The ADB is collaborating with Zero Mass Water, Inc (ZMW) and the Philippine National Electrification Administration (NEA) on this new technology that produces drinking water from sunlight and air.
SOURCE Hydropanels is developed by the US-based ZMW.
The water flows into a reservoir where it is mineralised with calcium and magnesium for health and taste benefits.
Moreover, the panels are 98% recyclable and have a 15-year lifespan.
ADB has already installed a SOURCE Hyrdopanel array at its headquarters in Manila in 2017.
This is to reduce usage of bottled water at the same time serves as an opportunity to showcase the technology for possible implementation in different parts of the country.
ADB extended a grant worth $80,000 to NEA to purchase the solar hydropanels.
ZMW Founder and CEO Mr Cody Friesen said, “We are thrilled to partner with ADB and NEA to deploy SOURCE Hydropanels as an innovative solution to the many drinking water challenges in the Philippines.” He added, “The Philippines’ fragmented geography adds extra barriers for reliance on traditional water infrastructure, yet makes it ideal for our technology providing families, communities, and businesses with drinking water resilience in the form of a sustainable drinking water supply.” ZMW aims to make safe, high-quality drinking water available to people in developing countries through the use of SOURCE Hydropanels.
The company is partnering with its distributor, Green Heat, to deploy hydropanels across the Philippines.