SOURCE Hydropanels | Drinking Water Out of Thin Air?!

[@darreno9874]

This is only for the rich, there should be no need to have an Internet connection, and for sustainable living the price needs to be sustainable too. There are other water catchers out there which are very cheap to set up

[@neepsmcfly4176]

Yeah, there are cheaper systems, however, broken down, you're spending about $.09/bottle of water. Also, they claim to invest 10% into clean water access worldwide. Dunno if/how to tap into that resource but, yeah, the design & setup is focused on low maintenance. My solar panels have an Internet connection & when they showed up 1 day after the wife inadvertently unplugged it, I realized there's an added sense of security knowing that while you're living your life, someone else is, in fact, paying attention. I don't scoff at that bonus quite so much anymore.

[@StraddleyourSuccess]

Well with the Rio Verde Water crisis in Arizona, people may be looking to find other ways to get water for their homes. Do you know how much it costs to dig a well in Arizona? And once water is eventually reached, there is no guarantee that the aquifer will last or that the quality of the water will be good.

[@Itried20takennames]

What cheaper catchment system would work in places like San Diego or much of California, where it can go months on end without a drop of rain? It is a niche product, and it’s unlikely the grid/tap would be down, but preppers will pay 3K for home freezedryers….and seems like a water source would be just as important, if not more.

[@Hj61S827]

Giving them away in souther Arizona, just got my 2 panel set up. I don’t have very high expectations, but it will be nice if systems fail.

[@marcothehammer]

I understand that there are a plethora of considerations to be applied in many ways to a variety of applications, but I learned how to decontaminate and/or desalinate water as a Boy Scout using a sheet of plastic, some sticks, and a small rock or large pebble. No electricity was required!

[@neepsmcfly4176]

Lol, same here (Troop 733, represent!) but wouldn't even know where to begin in transferring that temporary, emergency water retrieval for survival to a permanent water resource for an entire household!

[@waynebyarlay8421]

No. Several red flags here. He avoids all specific measurements. He came from a packaging marketing background. They BOTTLE their stuff and sell it in the most expensive grocery chain in the U.S. they require a connection to their servers and no mention of whether that has a subscription cost. How does AI help a humidifier. Random shots of people in impoverished areas drinking bottled water but no evidence that it's theirs. I could go on.

[@abhishekdev258]

Simple AC can do this plus it can cool or heat my home

[@driesverhelle6276]

And they are funded by Blackrock

[@neepsmcfly4176]

All true except I'd summarize more like "need to do more research" than "red flag". Admittedly, I was only half listening since I already checked out a few reviews & perused their website but I think 1 would expect more questions than qualifiers in such a short interview. My solar panels are connected, no sub required (and it's come in handy a few times, I might add!) and I'm not aware of any other company requiring a subscription. That'd be a nonstarter on my book.

[@neepsmcfly4176]

​@@abhishekdev258 dependency on distilled drinking water is not healthy. Also, running AC is very pricey!

[@billh1983]

I have a one ton portable air conditioner. It has produced 10 gallons of water from the air every day that I use to water a tree that produces a pod with a small fruit. I live in the Imperial Valley desert in Northern Mexico.

[@oneofmanycrownedremnant21]

IKR, I had mine dumping into a 5 gallon tank with a spigot and had to dump it twice a day.

[@winnipegnick]

True, It's probably like a heat pump, but is your AC connected to a solar panel? and is it drinkable?

[@neepsmcfly4176]

Yeah, living in Arizona, I have mine routed to some plants. But that water is completely distilled. Also, running the AC is expensive (I prefer my swamp cooler during low humidity)!

[@-whackd]

Plants like that water more than chlorinated water, I noticed.

[@Erik_Swiger]

An idea came to me; put millions of miles of wire, vertically on frames all over the place, and collect the dew that drips down the wires. Then I read that there are "fog fences" essentially doing that. I always thought it should be possible to harvest water for virtually no effort other than the initial investment.

[@kadmow]

you might even get a feed of fresh bat and bird "from time to time" - fog nets to the stratosphere can clean the air of all those pesky flying things.. (jk)

[@tonydeveyra4611]

To me a dehumidifier based water extraction system only makes sense if you put it in a greenhouse full of plants that you're watering with gray water

[@hudonald]

How is this different from a failed start up. Zero Mass Water? Thunderf00t did a video on this.

[@cybertrk]

It’s the same grift. I hate these s**tbag companies. “Derrr buy our dehumidifier and 500watts of solar for $5000, ignore the fact you could cover your home with solar for that price and get a cheap $100 dehumidifier.”

[@iihoipoiii]

its the same stupid idea XD

[@davesworld7961]

Isn't this basically just a dehumidifier and filter attached to a solar panel. So much cheaper and more efficient to buy those separate.

[@tonyblighe5696]

I wouldn't trust Thunderf00t as far as I could throw him after seeing his video on the Tesla Semi!

[@kennethhudson8013]

Some place like south texas this would be great, high humidity

[@tonyblighe5696]

10:48 Two panels produce 3-4 cases/week. How many litres is a "case"? Working back from $7000 / 15 years / 52 weeks = $9/week. At $0.15/litre that's 60 litres/week or about 4 litres per panel per day. This does look like a good product where bottled water is expensive. I wonder how the system avoids bacterial contamination. Lowest cost decentralised potable water sounds like a very worthy plan.

[@cybertrk]

Gotta factor in the price of all the filters that need to be replaced, and minerals that need to be added.

[@jagsfanrick]

@@cybertrk If that is the case i don't think is a money saver at all.

[@CHMichael]

First time I gave you a thumbs down for pushing this super expensive dehumidifier.

[@cybertrk]

Same, I wrote them an email too, I rarely get this pissed off, but this grift is right up there with solar roads.

[@DavidLee-bw5dm]

Tried to make a .15 vs .50 since per liter comparison but didn't factor in the 5 grand or the fact that you would need to add the calculium and magnesium back in...

[@GoodEnoughVenson_sigueacristo]

So, what's the difference between Source's technology and basic dehumidifiers? I have a simple dehumidifier that collects over a gallon a day. And it doesn't have to be connected to the internet to know how to get water out of the air..

[@tonyblighe5696]

Would you drink the water from your dehumidifier though?

[@jamesthompson7282]

This system is apparently much more efficient than a dehumidifier. A dehumidifier won't produce water in the American desert or the Arabian desert beside the Red Sea - both locations where they claim this tech works.

[@GoodEnoughVenson_sigueacristo]

@@tonyblighe5696 Sure. I'd want to filter it first, but I imagine that it wouldn't be too bad.

[@GoodEnoughVenson_sigueacristo]

@@jamesthompson7282 Okay, but what makes it so efficient? I want to know how it works, not just what the end result is. I'm just not super into the idea of tying my water supply into some company's management software. I'm looking for a completely independent solution.

[@kadmow]

@@tonyblighe5696 - filter and "mineralise" adequately, absolutely drinkable - so is the condensation from your AC and refrigeration units.

[@collectiblejohn1432]

What kind of piping do they use.? I am curious because I am trying to avoid plastic bottles and I don't want plastic pipes

[@cybertrk]

Plastic

[@TheRoon4660]

It would be interesting if they married this technology with clear solar panels that those other people were making. Water and electricity from one panel.

[@Justwantahover]

The best one so far (that is if it's not that noisy one).

[@ben3251]

Its a good silution for off grid. Paying water trucks to go out in certain places cost a lot of money! It produces a lot more water the a dehumidifier and does better in dry areas then a dehumidifier. If yiu made a cheap home system you would have to put a lot of work in to clean the water then add it to your house this doing it all at once is great. Like I said especially goid for off grid areas where water cost a lot to get there.

[@cybertrk]

Bird craps on your roof into the dehumidifier… yeah great.

[@misterclicks9234]

Seems like rain barrels would be a better idea.

[@kadmow]

shhh - that's mot renewable, apparently, and may contain pollutants.. lol...

[@steeelyj]

Illegal in California

[@kadmow]

@@steeelyj : if so that may be everything wrong with Cali - however it seems (from extensive googling - to take the piss at myself) that rooftop harvesting of rainwater is allowable - diverting runoff on the ground/landscape, that is totally different. Besides, Cali still isn't "The whole world", but thanks for the fb.

[@Adrian-uc4ox]

Definitely something too add to an Off-Grid Home.

[@kylespeaks7401]

As long as you have wifi and cell reception

[@Adrian-uc4ox]

@@kylespeaks7401 Starlink, but why is that needed for a HydroPanel?

[@justinweatherford8129]

Water purification doesn't necessarily need to use electricity. I am personally researching using concentrated light for purification. I live in eastern Kansas, so salt isn't a big issue here. If there was a lot of salt in my brine, then as my process gets farther along I would be trying to find companies that need that salt; such as, battery companies. Why battery companies? Battery companies flood salt flats to extract the lithium salts from the water. Right now though my byproduct is useful for my compost.

[@HepCatJack]

There's a good chance that the fluids frackers use contain Lithium when pumped back up depending on the local geology. Geothermal companies are looking to extract lithium from their brine.

[@kylespeaks7401]

Are there other options for atmospheric water harvesting that does not have to connected to internet?

[@ВалерийВовк-ш8ц]

Let's look at some numbers. Since this panel does not generate water, but extracts it from the air, the amount of water will depend on the humidity of the air. Let's assume that the humidity is 30%. At this humidity (and a temperature of 30 degrees Celsius), 2 gallons of water are contained in... 841 cubic meters of air. Most likely, the panel does not extract all the water from the air that passes through it. Let's assume that the panel extracts 50% of the moisture from the air. Then, to get 2 gallons of water, 1682 cubic meters of air must be passed through the panel. On average, 1 cubic meter of air contains about 100 micrograms of dust. In less dusty areas, this figure drops to 5 micrograms, but in dustier areas (for example, deserts) - up to 1000 micrograms. But on average, it is about 100 micrograms per cubic meter of air. If you pass 1600 cubic meters of air through the panel every day, then the unit will get... ummm 58 kilograms of dust per year. Of course, some of the dust will come out. But some will remain. Let's say half will remain. But 29 kilograms of dust is also a lot. Where will this dust end up? In the collected water? Most likely - no. Most likely, there should be a coarse filter there that will collect all this dust. But... how often should it be changed, if we assume that 29 kg of dust needs to be collected (80 grams daily)? Perhaps some of these 29 kilograms will remain inside the panel. So... won't this reduce the panel's throughput? Will fungi and colonies of other microorganisms appear in the panel? And 29 kg of dust is an indicator for an average dustiness of 100 micrograms per cubic meter of air. And what will happen in regions with a dustiness of 1000 micrograms per cubic meter? The most important thing is that replacing the filters does not seem so cheap.

[@MorganMadej]

An Excellent Interview by Zac & Jessie! They always know the right questions to ask!

[@jitone1]

What's you p/e ratio?

[@GoodEnoughVenson_sigueacristo]

..like maybe, 'why does it have to be connected to your frickin data center?'

[@rolflandale2565]

Well, some of the questions was very establishment defending, like why not just use this & that classic examples talk, instead of going into the detail specs and actual test comparisons & performance.

[@cybertrk]

Nooooooooooo. Dehumidifier on the roof is so stupid. Buy solar, then buy a Walmart dehumidifier… so much money saved! Price out the $ per watt of the system and you’ll realize this is an absolute scam by way of stupidity.

[@jjman533]

Yup exactly! This isn't new technology it is old technology packaged into a container with a huge mark up.

[@antoniodamelio9924]

Not a fan of this one. Price is high for this product. Also I feel like these components do not need to be bundled to be efficient. It's the same as how you don't need solar on your car you can just put them on your roof and then charge said car. in this case, you can simply have renewables like solar or wind generate the power and then have a system to pull water out of the air (aka a dehumidifier). From there it just needs to be made potable. add a filter and reservoir and boom the system is complete without the bulky panel. you still have lots of stuff in the system I just described, but it can be spread out and put in places where it needs to be. this also avoids the issue of weatherprrofing components that are not typically weatherproof

[@josholin31]

I'm looking into condensating water from the air. I have a theory that since collecting is used in an open setting/outside. Unlike a dehumidifier, which needs to circulate dryer air with humid, in a room. I think they could have pipes shaped like /T. Where heat is applied to the bottom of the /. Which would cause air to push up. Then cold air could be at the intersection of the T. Which would cause water and cold air to go down wards. I think it could save energy. What do you think?

[@tititata1]

So it only produces water when the sun is shining since it gets powered by solar panels?

[@clinthastings3254]

How loud are these things when operating? The panels that Ben Sullins had on his roof, were EXTREMELY loud. Like you could hear them operating all the way down the street loud! Are these like that?

[@-whackd]

Exact same company, so same as Bens

[@kocerarif]

For offgrid settlments, it might be lifesaving.

[@lulop022882]

So if these panels need an internet connection how are they able to be placed in remote areas providing water for the less Fortunate.

[@col0342]

Energy-wise, how's that better than an off-the-self dehumidifier fed with energy from some solar panels? The latent heat of evaporation/condensation of water remains the same (no matter if you go through a hygroscopic substance, in which case one needs to spend the extra energy to "squeeze" the condensed water from the "sponge"). I mean, what is the incentive for me to pay $7000 for those panels (and the extra unspecified energy to run my fridge?) instead of just buying a $100 dehumidifier from Kmart to do the job?

[@henrygottnunne303]

How come you cut off all the comments?

[@carsonc1272]

I wonder what happened to MOF's for water harvesting from the atmosphere? They seemed to have great numbers but never took off.

[@ianglenn2821]

I believe the problem with MOFs was scaling them larger, some type of squared-cube law surface-area to volume ratio problem for heating/cooling the MOF

[@BryanKrauss-u7y]

Can you put it on an RV and how much would one panel produce of water

[@BryanKrauss-u7y]

Plus this has to be used for shower as well as drinking want it for fully off grid rv

[@BryanKrauss-u7y]

Plus what would it cost Approx

[@BryanKrauss-u7y]

I would have a water saver shower would panels for 10 gallons of water a day be sufficient this is on an rv

[@BryanKrauss-u7y]

TY in advance for any answers.

[@nicklockard]

It can't move enough air mass through the water collection part to capture any meaningful water. It's an absurdly overpriced toy for green-washing away your guilt.

[@mikejf4377]

What is the cost going to be? Think that is a great idea.

[@abhishekdev258]

Use an Air conditioner and filter the water that comes from it.

[@mikejf4377]

@@abhishekdev258 might be same concept but I don’t think so, AC makes condensation but not enough to drink daily.

[@abhishekdev258]

@@mikejf4377 Depends on the area, I am from India, my AC fills one 20 litre bucket in one night.

[@Martin-po9sz]

This is for very niche cases. A cabin on a montain or a house where you can’t get plumbing etc. For the places with normal tap water this is a horrible idea. The world is large and small edge cases can make a decent market. (The bortled water is however stupid marketing.)

[@jitone1]

Wow clean water.

[@paulkawsek8617]

Can you extract water out of fog?

[@cybertrk]

For $5000 you get 500 watts of solar and a dehumidifier. They’re grifters

[@CHMichael]

@@cybertrk just collect the water from your ac.

[@CHMichael]

There are farmers in south America that water their fields with netting ( screens) On the pacific side thei noticed that large trees grew well without rainfall. Fog rising up on the mountain side. Anything like wine and shrubs do well too.

[@cybertrk]

@@CHMichael bingo! Way better solution.

[@jamesthompson7282]

@@CHMichael All these people who can't pay attention to what's said in the video. This isn't intended for humid climes: we have (as you've pointed out) ways to extract water there at lower cost. This is supposedly capable of extracting water from arid & semi-arid air. Dew nets won't work at all there; neither will dehumidifiers.

[@alexkimmerly9490]

The Tsunami Atmospheric Water Generator (AWG) is the scaled-up version. It just sucks vast amounts of energy and produces vast amounts of water. When energy is abundant (aka done at scale so it's efficient), water generation done at scale is also more efficient.

[@dariusm1142]

I live in a town which an average day is gray overcast or very foggy for most of the year. How well do these panels work in less than ideal solar conditions?

[@-whackd]

They get a lot of water but youll be using grid electricity. If you have fog you must get rain and therefore you can collect rainwater for cheaper.

[@dariusm1142]

@@-whackd actually we don't get a lot of rain. California. We're prone to drought.

[@iihoipoiii]

stupid waste of energy to get bacteriological risky water

[@huntera123]

Taking a well established process, mix with massive deceptive claims, and presto, an interesting tool becomes full of bs.

[@HJBProductionsLLC]

Any harm to the environment and humans if you collect a lot of water from the atmosphere?

[@LloydJHart]

Dew catching is our only way out.

[@sgill4833]

Will it work in the desert efficiently?

[@cybertrk]

No. It’s a scam, it’s just a dehumidifier, run a dehumidifier in the desert and see how much water you get.

[@iihoipoiii]

it will work efficiently at destroying green energy to get risky unsafe water

[@Martin-po9sz]

There are dessers with a lot of fog. Nimibia or Canary Island. Might work well in those places.

[@garryharper1742]

I've seen a man has system. For less than 100 dollars and makes 10 gallons a day. You need a battery. Can get part things to make at home depot.

[@lulop022882]

More info or it never happened

[@Wongtsunqui]

Just leaked air conditioner powered by solar cell but commercialize but why not

[@alexkimmerly9490]

There is an Essence of Life project in Orrisa, India that has a 400 L/day VayuJal unit connected to a 44.5kW solar plant to produce atmospheric water with surplus and curtailed energy. It's not sexy Source water at a 5-star hotel - it's drinking water from stranded energy.

[@Jmills757]

recycling the salt from desalination to make sodium Ion batteries?

[@jamesthompson7282]

Sure. Lithium is contained in seawater. But at vanishingly small concentrations. But yeah, you could separate it with lots of cheap power, presumably from solar. This is done now. Doesn't fix the brine problem. Take out the lithium salts & you're left with over 99% of the salt you still need to dispose of. Sea salt has value, but the amount you'd produce with a large-scale desalination plant is way in excess of amounts the market could adsorb, and wouldn't be economical to sell. Bottom line: desalination leaves a problematic amount of brine. Dumping it anywhere causes substantial environmental harm.

[@Jmills757]

@@jamesthompson7282 Sodium Ion battery. I'm sure it isn't as efficient as a lithium battery but maybe it could help with all the extra salt laying around.

[@kadmow]

@@jamesthompson7282 : James - the brine concentration is totally tunable - one can decide how concentrated the outflow will be, deep ocean outfalls don't have to be "disastrous" - this guy has a product but is essentially talking fast - spinning wheels, for a luxury internet connected device (which has no need for AI and ML (or an always-on connection).... Your assumptions are just demonstrating existing bias.. lol... Yes Na-Ion batteries are likely to be a part of the next bulk storage revolution.

[@markrowland1366]

Try, deleterious not disastrous. Desalination uses electricity, so do these panels. What a scaremongering joke.

[@arnoldreiter435]

starting cost is 5k! i am betting that almost no one gets a system installed for that price. I like the idea but it is far to expensive. With tens of thousands of panels already installed it seems the price should be about half of what it is now. For drinking water a simpler install might have more of a market. For my home this is not an option, again far to much cost.

[@emmanuelgutierrez8616]

dasani/ coca cola is about to buy you out and close your company. Watch your back! i wish you had compared it a rain catchment system. i think rain catchment systems might be more appropriate in most areas. Man, i wish i could taste that water though!

[@prestontucker1687]

What rain? Drought

[@kadmow]

@@prestontucker1687 : plenty of rain all over Australia the last 3 years, with COVID came the rains... lol.... - Not everyone has the same experience...

[@prestontucker1687]

@@kadmow Wasn't talking about Aus

[@kadmow]

@@prestontucker1687 : that is the problem with assumptions - sir. hence why I proffered a solution to your woes... rains some and loses some..

[@roberttetreault5051]

What about freezing in northern climates

[@winnipegnick]

He said it does not work in the cold.

[@bradenkelly3279]

That’s an expensive dehumidifier

[@alexkimmerly9490]

So my utility provides water at $1.38 per cubic meter (1000L) -- so they've developed a way to make water cost 100x more. Decentralized water is nice to have if you're off grid -- but centralized water comes in at 1% of the cost. Utility water quality issues is a myth businesses use to sell overpriced water.

[@Martin-po9sz]

Sure, but how much to get plumbing to that cottage 20 miles out in the bad lands?

[@ShortVersion1]

Interesting to see how negative the comments here seem to reflect the product, compared to Ben Sullin's review. I wonder if it's the added skepticism because of the investment angle. Sometime the venn diagram of environmentalism and preppers collides in an unexpected way, but maybe this concept better fits the prepper niche than environmentalist? For me, I'd like to see how this develops. It definitely sits somewhere between dehumidifier and a product that would compel me to purchase. If it produced enough water for a greenhouse or something...maybe, but JUST drinking water? I'd rather just shower with my mouth open haha

[@-whackd]

It would be good to put one of these units in a large greenhouse that is fed greywater from a residence. I would use the water for drinking and washing because it would be non chlorinated, which will be better for your skin and gut bacteria. But really, this is for people with a solar roof who produce excess energy that they truly dont use. Where theres no rain for rainwater collection.

[@richardlphillips]

Come on guys. You are losing all credibility here. The economics of this don't stack up.

[@omarb1912]

Too expensive and too little water

[@TheRoon4660]

If the panels performed double duty it would be possible to heat them in freezing weather.

[@neo1267]

These are expensive, however should be required for all new housing in the US. Flint, Mich sure could have used these years ago had they been available.

[@mattheweanfeldman]

Why are you acting as you have never heard of this technology? Owen and Beru Lars where water farms in 1977

[@jackrodgersjr]

Air conditioners have produced water by cooling air for a century. The rest of the pitch is interesting. But how will we produce a billion solar panel sir poor nation? Who will pay for that. The poor can use the salt…

[@jackrodgersjr]

This is designed to get bucks from crowdfunding.

[@howeln]

This us not about saving money per se. Think of it like preping. Lots if liberal states have failing infrastructure....by design, all in the name of saving the environment. Also, liberal states, such as california, are fewquently diacussing laws to limit water to houaeholds.

[@tonyaskins9600]

Scary investor profile. Black Rock? Bill Gates?

[@worldsheaviestjamband93]

Grifters gonna grift

[@undrachvrsage]

You're not supposed to drink from dehumidifiers lol

[@jimneuman8785]

Not made for potable water

[@jonnporter6081]

Just a few questions: How easy is it to recycle the materials involved with production? What's your response when the climate change people say that you're drying out the atmosphere? The govt taxes the our internet, electricity, and existing water supplies; how long before the govt taxes your "free" water?

[@l0I0I0I0]

Price is a killer, sorry 😔.

[@Coen80]

Its a scam. Plain and simple

[@nodnostrebor4300]

Technology is a dead-end trap. This technology, if it works the way described, will create/facilitate larger populations more dependent upon technological products that are not permanent and are fragile by their very nature. What happens when a catastrophe occurs that overwhelms all these technological crutches? Answer: Much more human suffering than existed before this and similar technologies made us all technology-dependent beings.

[@ColectiveConsciousness1111]

Great Product; You had me until you mentioned 👿 BillGatesBioTerrorist. Would be a good idea to distance the business from him.

[@Lovin_It]

KZbin search MOF or Metal Organic Framework. Is this what this company uses? MOFs should cost pennies and last very long, easily recyclable, so this $5000 price point is rather ridiculous. I've seen MOF setups using cardboard boxes, plastic housing and simple electronics that should cost no more than $20. I'll pass on the addition of Ca+/Mg+ and the network. I like the taste of distilled water and I'll get my electrolytes from other foods and drinks. I guess some third party can pay to subsidize these third world gifts. Do watch the MOF videos, they are utterly engrossing.

[@mohammadwasilliterate8037]

*Actually NO, this is garbage, in fact it's far better to simply catch the rain than this garbage.* 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@mohammadwasilliterate8037]

*DEBUNKED BY THUNDERF00T HERE ON KZbin.* 🤣🤣🤣🤣