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Sign upOctober 1, 2023
Save the Children
Hafun
Currently, 771 million people lack access to basic drinking water, with 75% living in remote, often unstable regions affected by conflict, political unrest, and natural disasters, making safe water access challenging. In Somalia’s isolated region of Hafun, where annual rainfall is just 100 mm, communities have long relied on distant, unsafe wells. In response, Elemental Water Makers and Save the Children launched an innovative solar desalination project in October 2023, designed to produce 45 m³ of fresh water daily, serving 35,000 people in Hafun. The system operates autonomously, with a unique, energy-efficient design that reduces solar panel needs by 70% and avoids chemical use, lowering environmental risks. This marks the first-ever autonomous solar desalination project in a remote, high-risk area. Developed with local engineers, the project was supported by Somalia’s Ministry of Energy, local authorities, and the community, who now manage it through a Water Management Committee.
With sea and sun as the only resources, 35,000 people now have access to clean water, reducing CO₂ emissions by 90 tons annually. The plant complies with environmental and social standards, meeting WHO drinking water guidelines, and is 44% more cost-effective than traditional methods, with a payback period of just 1.5 years. This scalable solution aims to reach 10 million people by 2030, offering a hopeful path toward easing freshwater scarcity in coastal regions.
With increasing water scarcity, the key to extra water lies in the sea. However, existing desalination technology is energy-intensive and expensive. The Elemental Water Source is a unique solar desalination technology that makes seawater into fresh water using only sunshine. It has the following unique benefits compared to existing solutions: - Uses 70% less electricity for desalination due to the energy recovery technology - No chemicals involved during operation & maintenance by running on a low recovery ratio and using automated fresh flush technology - State-of-the-art battery technology used to ensure running at maximum production rates, avoiding frequent membrane replacement and ensuring maximum pump efficiency The plug & play containerized solar desalination solution is plug-and-play and can be deployed quickly for various decentralized applications. It's available for applications between 4-100 m³/day of fresh water production.
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