Solar Water Farm Produces Clean Drinking Water to Aid Kenya Water Crisis
The nonprofit Givepower built its first solar water farm in Kenya.
This was done to turn the East African country’s saltwater into clean drinking water, according to Designboom.
The farm uses a filtration system to desalinate brackish water, producing enough water for 35,000 people every day. Its proximity to the ocean makes it an ideal location for Givepower's solar water farm, according to Designboom.
The desalination systems are housed in 20 ft shipping containers, capable of producing 50 kilowatts of energy and powering two water pumps. 75,000 litres of brackish and/or seawater can be filtered into clean, drinkable water every day, reported Givepower.
The farm is able to provide 20 years of access to clean water, according to Givepower.
The region has suffered extreme drought for many years and the inhabitants of Kiunga village have not had access to clean drinking water, reported Interesting Engineering. Before the solar farm installation, residents of Kiunga often had to travel up to one hour each way a day just to get enough drinking water.
“Humanity needs to take swift action to address the increasingly severe global water crisis that faces the developing world,” said Hayes Barnard, founder and president of Givepower. “With our background in off-grid clean energy, Givepower can immediately help by deploying solar water farm solutions to save lives in areas throughout the world that suffer from prolonged water scarcity.”
Givepower has deployed more than 2,650 solar-powered energy systems to schools, medical clinics and villages in 17 developing countries. The organization is actively researching four additional locations to deploy its solar water farm technology, according to Designboom.
