ARENA has announced an Australian-first trial of drinking water systems that produce clean drinking water drawn directly from the air using solar power.
The $821,500 total project will demonstrate the technology not yet seen in Australia – a product that produces clean, renewable, infrastructure-free drinking water extracted from the air using solar energy.
The SOURCE hydropanels are infrastructure free with no external electricity or water required for operation.
Each SOURCE hydropanel produces enough water to displace over 20,000 plastic water bottles over 15 years.
Under the trial, SOURCE will be rolled out in 150 sites across Australia including Sydney, Adelaide, Perth as well as regional towns and remote communities.
The pilot will trial SOURCE in a variety of locations including airports, cafes, community centres, commercial buildings and sustainable properties.
The project will reduce the reliance on plastic bottled water while also provide accessible clean drinking water to rural communities with limited access to clean drinking water or electricity, or during droughts.
The pilot phase of the project will also incorporate a third party study to evaluate the environmental impacts of bottled water in Australia.
Using a combination of solar PV with solar thermal technology, SOURCE’s ability to create clean drinking water could be utilised to achieve positive solutions around water supply,” Frischknecht said.
“The potential benefits of this technology to the environment are important.

The all-time record in the city for March is 37.3 degrees Celsius.
However, weathermen clarified the temperature was 34 degrees Celsius and it was quite normal at this time of the year.
But in isolated areas, the variation from the normal weather could be 3-4 degrees.” Asked why even though there is no big variation in the normal temperature, Bengalureans have started to feel the heat, Reddy said, “As night temperatures are still low, evenings and nights are pleasant.
Weather will be pleasant till 8 am and after that people start feeling the heat as the weather is transiting from winter to summer.” The all-time record in the city for March is 37.3 degrees Celsius.
Looking at the prevailing weather system, temperatures in the city may not cross 36 degrees, Reddy said.
He said if high temperature continues it will lead to the formation of conducive currents and bring rain and thereby bring down mercury.
Reddy said, “As the city and some parts of the state witnessed heavy rains between August and October last year, there will be water available for the birds, livestock and plants.” No water crisis this summer: Mayor There will be no water scarcity this summer, said Mayor Sampath Raj, who visited the Ground Level Reservoir at High Grounds along with BWSSB officials.
After the inspection and discussion with BWSSB officials, he said, "BWSSB is ready with its contingency plan to handle the drinking water needs in the city and as a part of its plan it has already kept 68 water tankers ready to supply water to the areas which could experience scarcity.
And this will be monitored by a senior official of the water board by carrying out inspections across the city.” He said BWSSB staff will be deputed at the BBMP control rooms and will be tasked with the job of handling and resolving water related complaints recorded by BBMP control room.
If you have any water related issue you can call BWSSB’s 24X7 helpline 1916 or 080-2223888.