Objective
Water and energy are highly interdependent and are both crucial to human well-being and sustainable socio-economic development. 1.1 billion people worldwide do not have access to a safe source of drinking water; 1.3 billion people lack access to electricity; 5 billion people worldwide still have no access to internet.
Our innovative solution Watly addresses the increasing global demand for safe sources of drinking water and green off-grid electricity, by combining highly efficient photovoltaic panels with thermal energy production, used to desalinate and purify water in-situ. Watly also provides internet connectivity and mobile chargers in remote areas. Our customers are: Governments and public institutions, NGOs, mobile hospitals, military organizations, hotels/resorts/businesses in remote destinations, oil platforms, etc.
WATLY’s success depends on the fulfilment of the following objectives:
- Scale-up Watly 2.0 to Watly 3.0 able to treat up to 4,500l of water and produce 70 kWh of electricity per day, boosting its readiness level from TRL7 to TRL9
- Certification and live Demonstration of Watly 3.0
- Succesfull final Business Innovation Plan and commercialization activities for Watly 3.0
The investment cost of Watly 3.0 could be a strong barrier for the public sector and NGOs. To overcome this barrier Watly will include additional features and 2 kinds of revenues channels for the Watly operator:
• Vending Machine: It is a model created for the public sector of remote areas, with medium-low purchasing power. Watly will include specific hardware to act as a vending machine, which will give a certain amount of water/energy/connectivity in exchange of a small economic input
• Lively Donors: It is a model strictly created for NGOs. Watly will integrate a web platform and a mobile App which will allow external donors, i.e. philanthropists from rich countries, to remotely donate money giving a certain amount of water/energy/connectivity to the needy person
Fields of science
- engineering and technologyenvironmental engineeringwater treatment processesdrinking water treatment processes
- natural sciencescomputer and information sciencesinternet
- engineering and technologychemical engineeringseparation technologiesdesalinationreverse osmosis
- engineering and technologyelectrical engineering, electronic engineering, information engineeringelectrical engineeringpower engineeringelectric power generationcombined heat and power
- engineering and technologyenvironmental engineeringenergy and fuelsrenewable energysolar energyphotovoltaic
Keywords
Programme(s)
Funding Scheme
SME-2 - SME instrument phase 2Coordinator
08302 Mataro
Spain
The organization defined itself as SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) at the time the Grant Agreement was signed.