The suburb of Miami Garden in South Florida will be partnering with Israeli water company Water-Gen to begin a trial programme that will use the company’s air-to-water technologies in hopes of relieving the state’s water shortage, as announced by Miami Garden’s Mayor on Monday.
The city will test Water-Gen’s mid-size unit, a device that trap’s humidity, purifies the air and then turns it into clean drinking water. Miami Garden residents are currently under strict water restrictions and are in preparation for hurricane season, with significant population increases in recent years having also begun to put pressure on available water resources.
Miami Garden’s Mayor Oliver G. Gilbert III praised the Israeli company: “We are excited to demonstrate to the citizens across Florida Water-Gen’s forward thinking and innovative solution that will benefit each and every household and family”.
The Mayor added: “Water-Gen’s pilot will enable us to measure its use for clean drinking water if needed for hurricane relief and any other emergency water situation that may arise”.
Water-Gen only requires one kilowatt per gallon of water produced, and uses plastic rather than aluminium as the heat exchanger in the device, making it more affordable than other water systems. The device can produce 15-20 litres of drinkable water daily.
Yehuda Kaploun, President of Water-Gen, stated: “Water-Gen has developed an independent innovative and autonomous solution, requiring only electricity and infrastructure”.
He continued: “This quick and easy solution allows Water-Gen to respond immediately to the rapidly unfolding water crisis and any emergency situation”.
The Israeli company’s innovation was first showcased at the AIPAC Policy conference in Washington in March this year, where it was promoted as a device to combat water scarcity across the world.
