Connect with us

Subscribe

Photo by Giorgio Parravicini on Unsplash

clean energy

How to grow food in the desert

An exciting new innovation that uses solar power to extract water from the air to grow vegetables could provide a major boost for food and water security in the world’s most remote and arid regions.

The ‘solar-driven’ system being developed by scientists in Saudi Arabia works by using a unique hydrogel that is placed under a solar panel to absorb water vapour, which it can then release as water content when heated.

Making sure everyone on Earth has access to clean water and affordable clean energy is part of the Sustainable Development Goals set by the United Nations.

Peng Wang

“A fraction of the world’s population still doesn’t have access to clean water or green power, and many of them live in rural areas with arid or semi-arid climate,” says senior author Peng Wang, a professor of environmental science and engineering at the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST). “Our design makes water out of air using clean energy that would’ve been wasted and is suitable for decentralised, small-scale farms in remote places like deserts and oceanic islands.”

During a typically hot June fortnight in Saudia Arabia the proof-of-concept system, called WEC2P, was used, with the result that 57 of 60 water spinach seeds ‘sprouted and grew normally’.

“Our goal is to create an integrated system of clean energy, water, and food production, especially the water-creation part in our design, which sets us apart from current agrophotovoltaics,” added Wang. “I hope our design can be a decentralised power and water system to light homes and water crops.”

Next, the scientists plan to progress the proof-of-concept design, described today in the journal Cell Reports Physical Science, into a commercial product by developing an improved hydrogel capable of absorbing larger amounts of water from the air.

Newsletter Signup

Written By

Iain is a creative writer, journalist and lecturer, and formerly an editor of two international business publications. Iain is now editor of Innovators Magazine, as well as the strategic content director for OnePoint5Media.

Advertisement

How to become a better innovator

Editor's Picks

How to become a truly regenerative leader

Editor's Picks

New European investors’ network does exactly what it says on the TIN

Editor's Picks

Micro and nano-plastics: The invisible crisis threatening our oceans and our health

Editor's Picks

Connect
Newsletter Signup