Project description
New generator pulls water out of thin air
Air contains a little bit of water, but on hot and muggy days the air is saturated with moisture. Atmospheric water generators (AWGs) can extract water from the surrounding air and filter it to remove particulates and bacteria. The EU-funded STRATUS project is developing technology to generate drinking water by condensing ambient humidity. This will be particularly useful in areas where water is scarce or lacks sufficient quality. The project’s new AWGs target residential, commercial and public premises, producing top quality drinking water with a maximum 200 litre daily capacity. The new AWGs will be less expensive and more efficient than conventional AWGs. The project will work to develop, validate and bring its AWG to market.
Objective
GENAQ is a Spanish SME focused on the development and commercialisation of disruptive Atmospheric Water Generators (AWGs). With a consolidated team of 6 engineers, developers and market experts our aim is to become the global standard in AWG technology.
Bottled water is the most popular solution to supply drinking water to areas where water is scarce or lacks sufficient quality. However, it is expensive, generates large amounts of plastic waste and results in multiple impacts associated to its production and transportation. Current alternatives to bottled water such as water filters and water tanks also face several limitations (need of a water source, insufficient water quality). AWGs generate drinking water by condensing ambient humidity, avoiding the generation of residues or transportation impacts. Nevertheless, available AWGs are expensive, have low efficiency and are poorly suited for their installation in residential or commercial premises. The global AWGs market is expected to grow at a booming 30% CAGR, reaching over €7 bn by 2025, creating a unique opportunity for the introduction of affordable, efficient and functional AWGs.
STRATUS is the next AWG series in GENAQ’s pipeline. Targeting residential, commercial and public premises, STRATUS models (with 20, 50 and 200l/day capacity) produce top quality drinking water, achieving 50% higher water production and 150% reduced energy consumption compared to available AWGs while offering a 1-year payback period and a user-friendly interface. Moreover, STRATUS contributes to maintain optimum ambient humidity and generates hot water without consuming additional energy.
STRATUS has reached TRL7 through the successful implementation of larger models for remote locations and emergency response purposes (NIMBUS and CUMULUS) and the development and testing of STRATUS prototypes. The last development steps will be achieved through STRATUS project by further developing, validating and bringing it into the market.
Fields of science
Programme(s)
Funding Scheme
SME-2 - SME instrument phase 2Coordinator
14900 CORDOBA
Spain
The organization defined itself as SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) at the time the Grant Agreement was signed.