For relief agencies responding to natural disasters, from the ongoing flood crisis in Pakistan to the Haiti earthquake, even the recent flooding in Victoria’s north and central regions, disease caused by unclean and contaminated drinking water can present the worst danger to the health of affected populations.
With lives on the line, a US company, Spectra Watermakers, has come up with a renewable energy solution to these so-called “second wave of deaths.”
The Solar Container is a solar-powered water purification device and uses integrated solar panels to charge the water purifier’s 24 volt deep cycle batteries.
Unsafe or contaminated water is pumped through a series of filters to remove large matter which is then filtered through eight reverse osmosis membranes, purifying the water at an ionic level, eliminating bacteria, viruses, salts and dangerous chemicals.
The purifier also has applications as a miniature desalination plant, removing salt from brackish water sources, and supplying farmers in drought-stricken regions with fresh water for crops.
The Solar Container can supply up to 1400 litres of clean potable water per hour, potentially solving the problem of having to truck water over impassable disaster-ravaged terrain or relying on faulty, above-ground pipes to deliver such an essential resource.
Spectra Watermakers say their solar purifier is more self-contained and cheaper to run than petrol-powered water purifiers. The Solar Container utilises an advanced pump technology that can run on less power, allowing solar energy to provide the necessary charge it needs to do the job.
