In Jamaica, bottled water is often seen as a necessity, even though the country struggles so much with plastic pollution that the government recently implemented a countrywide ban on plastic bags, straws, and Styrofoam.
At the children’s ward of a local hospital, for example, tap water isn’t safe to drink, particularly for children with compromised immune systems.
But the hospital now has a new source of readily available, clean drinking water: It’s using solar-powered “hydropanels” on the roof that pull moisture from the air.
“We’re not only solving for resilient drinking water but also reducing plastic waste,” says Cody Friesen, CEO of Zero Mass Water, the startup that makes the technology in use at the hospital, the University Hospital of the West Indies in Kingston, Jamaica.
The project is the company’s first installation as part of the Caribbean Climate Smart Accelerator, a program that aims to build resilient infrastructure in the region while supporting economic growth.
The company’s product, called Source, “use a material science approach that absorbs water from the atmosphere passively,” says Friesen, who is also an engineering professor at Arizona State University.
Nanomaterials inside each panel absorb vapor from the air, and then solar power pushes the water into a reservoir, where minerals are added for taste.
Then the water can be sent by pipe to taps inside.
At the hospital, 20 panels on the roof can provide almost 800 gallons each month, more than patients need.
In India, the panels are at schools.

Richard Branson: Business leaders are ‘baffled’ by Trump on climate change.
Image: AP/REX/Shutterstock British billionaire Richard Branson said business leaders were left dumbfounded by President Trump’s decision to withdraw the U.S. from the Paris Climate Agreement.
But if there’s a silver lining, it’s that companies are now even more driven to invest in clean energy and cut greenhouse gas emissions.
Trump and his top officials have made quick work of unraveling not only the former Obama administration’s policies to fight climate change, but even longstanding scientific research programs.
Image: AP/REX/Shutterstock On June 1, Trump announced he would withdraw the U.S. from the international climate agreement, which commits countries to reducing emissions to limit global warming.
The agencies they lead are both facing billions of dollars in budget cuts and steep job losses as the administration curtails funding for climate science, renewable energy, and energy efficiency while doubling down on coal, oil, and natural gas projects.
On Wednesday, he announced a new initiative, called Run on Less, that aims to promote fuel efficiency in long-haul trucks.
Image: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images "If you don’t go after transport emissions, you’re going to fail" in fighting climate change, he told reporters.
Beyond backing today’s technologies, Branson also invests heavily in cutting-edge clean energy innovations.
He’s put money into Breakthrough Energy Ventures, a $1 billion fund launched by fellow billionaire Bill Gates, to support new forms of clean energy.