We make water from the air in the desert - News service - Czech technical university in Prague

Publication date:

2019/08/09

Scientists from the CTU University Center for Energy Efficient Buildings launched the SAWER system in the desert in the United Arab Emirates, whose development began in 2017. The test run will be evaluated at the end of 2019. The designers will use the experience gained during the trial operation when designing the equipment for the Czech pavilion at EXPO 2020 in Dubai, which should be installed next year.

System testing will run in the Sweihan Desert in the UAE for about six months to provide data from both extreme summer and autumn and winter traffic. During this time, its creators, led by Tomáš Matuška, want to verify how S.A.W.E.R. (Solar-Air-Water-Earth-Resources) will withstand a real desert environment in which it will have to withstand high temperatures, fine sand and other adverse effects.

These had to be dealt with by the team from CTU UCEEB, who came to the United Arab Emirates to put the equipment into operation. Due to high temperatures around 45 ° C, scientists could only work at night while resting during the day. Also for this reason, it is an advantage that their permanent presence on site is not needed as data will be collected remotely. Only a few shorter trips to the United Arab Emirates are foreseen for inspections and possible modifications to the facility.

It is too early to make any conclusions about the durability and performance of the device after a few days of operation. Obtained water from the system can be used on a nearby camel farm, where Bedouins from the surrounding area come for it. The system could be of great help to them in the future, since it should be able to operate completely autonomously using only solar energy even in the most remote areas where there are no asphalt roads or power lines. However, it is not excluded that S.A.W.E.R. finds use elsewhere.

Among others, the web Novinky.cz also informed about the system