The human body is made up of around 70% water, and drinking water is vital to good health. We need to remain well-hydrated in order to function at our best; dehydration causes various organs to function less optimally and even to eventually stop functioning altogether.
The problem is that the world is in a water crisis according to the United Nations; some places have too much water while others have too little due to changing climate conditions. There are currently around 750 million people who not having access to safe drinking water, and this figure is predicted to rise to 1.8 billion by 2025.
Can Solar Energy Provide Clean Water?
The water shortages and water scarcity in many countries across the globe necessitate us finding a method of accessing more water and sanitising the water that is available so that it is safe to drink.
The sun plays a vital role in the water cycle on planet earth, as it heats the various sources, causing the water to evaporate from the oceans, rivers and lakes and be taken up into the air in the form of clouds. When the clouds become too heavy with water, the water returns back down to the earth in the form of rain.
One of the simplest ways of using solar energy to provide clean water that is safe to drink is by using a solar still. A solar still can produce up to around 23 000 litres of fresh drinking water per day via evaporation, distillation and condensation.
[Source: Mother Earth News]
Solar stills are very useful in areas where there is no other water source, no electricity, or in the event of a natural disaster.
How to Make a Simple Solar Still
- Dig a hole in the ground
- Place a container that can hold water in the hole
- Cover the hole with a sheet of plastic
- Place a stone or pebble in the centre of the plastic
The plastic over the hole basically turns the hole into a kind of a greenhouse which traps the heat of the sun causing the moisture in the hole to evaporate, condense on the underside of the plastic and drip down into the container.
Solar water purifiers are a more advanced version of solar stills, and they can convert contaminated water into safe drinking water using basically the same kind of process, just on a far larger scale.
The solar water disinfection method (SODIS) is a cost-effective solution that can be used very effectively in developing countries. In this method, food-grade plastic water bottles are filled with water and placed in the sun for 6 hours, during which time the UV-A rays in the sunlight kill bacteria, viruses and parasites, leaving pure drinking water.
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