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The Solar
Fountain, which took Dutch inventor Ap Verheggen six years to
develop, produces around 2 liters (4.2 pints) of water per day
using an ordinary dehumidifier, two 250-watt solar panels and a
rechargeable battery pack.
"We present the sculpture with technology that's off the
shelves," Verheggen said.
"I want to show with this project that we can really do it, that
it is an option for future development."
While the parts are easily available, at a cost of roughly 1,000
euros ($1,125), the fountain is not yet a realistic solution for
impoverished desert regions with water shortages.
"We hope to inspire other people that they pick up the idea and
that they start to make watermakers...this is the first step,"
Verheggen said.
Water output was greater in simulated desert-climate conditions
due to stronger sunshine, but the prototype does has technical
limitations. The dehumidifier cannot extract water from the air
in temperatures below 13 degrees Celsius (55 degrees
Fahrenheit).
Solar Fountain can be seen in the "Museum of the Sculptures on
the Sea" in The Hague until Oct. 2.
($1 = 0.8884 euros)
(Reporting by Anthony Deutsch, editing by Ed Osmond)
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