Where do atmospheric water generators really fit?

摘要

Atmospheric water generation (AWG) - the process of producing drinking water from moisture in the air - has seen recent advances in efficiency that have created new potential for the technology. Players in this sector regard themselves as the vanguard of an inevitable technological revolution that will see the decentralisation of water production from municipal treatment plants to neighbourhoods and individual homes. Some even allege it is already a clean, cost-effective alternative to large-scale desalination. This may seem farfetched, but AWGs could find a niche in emergency response and even industrial water, as well as posing a formidable challenge to the bottled water industry. AWG is not a new concept (despite it often being spun as such) and it is also plagued by wild performance claims or dishonest discrediting of desalination by its proponents, while in many cases the process is still highly expensive and energy intensive. However, several vendors are now claiming to produce water for less than $20 per cubic metre and the cost is continuing to fall, making it a more competitive technology.