Benchmarks of production for atmospheric water generators in the United States

Abstract

Atmospheric Water Generators (AWG) extract water from the air using one of three available technologies: refrigeration, sorption, and fog harvesting. In this research, we analyze two refrigeration-based devices and one sorption-based device and their efficacy in providing supplemental water supply across the United States. An AWG can supply potable water to remote and austere locations where clean drinking water might otherwise be unavailable. With increasing water scarcity globally, particularly in historically arid climates, new methods that can draw from an estimated 13,000 km3 in the atmosphere using an AWG becomes important and, potentially, viable. However, due to climatological and technological constraints, not all regions in the world would see the same water production from an AWG as production is driven by high relative humidity and temperature. This climatological reliance also subjects them to dramatic changes in performance depending on the season. By using previously established hydrologic performance indicators (reliability, resilience, and vulnerability) and weather data for the United States, we determine the year-round efficiency metrics of three AWGs. By evaluating three different devices and mapping the efficiency across the United States, this research determines the regional efficacy, as a function of water production, in adopting AWG technology to supplement potable water supply. This study provides important insights into the performance of AWGs with high spatial resolution through comparison of multiple devices. The results indicate minimal viability for a large portion of the United States. However, we highlight the potential for the device to supply water for a remote military installation in Hawaii.