How To Pull Water From the Sun

Do you ever see your water bill in the mail and want to cry? Have you ever wondered what precisely is in the water? Or, do you live in Flint, Michigan? Or a megalopolis in a developing country?

What if I told you that you can now make water directly from sunlight?

You would, rightly, be skeptical and frown. How can you convert photons directly into molecules of anything without nuclear fusion? Also, where is the snake oil?

But Zero Mass Water, a company specializing in magic, says it is producing a solar panel that uses solar energy to pull water from the air. It uses ambient moisture, the sort that is roughly 60% saturated in Earth's atmosphere, and absorbent material that wicks water from atmosphere. The company says it can produce roughly 5 liters a day at 60% humidity and 25C. It can produce all of that for only a few cents a liter.

So...what's the catch?

Well, you have to buy one in the first place. Zero Mass Water will be charging double the necessary profit and materials to "donate to families." So you have to trust them to actually do that, and not profit the extra cash. Oh, and there's the fact that there's no real analysis of how expensive that absorbent material will be, or even what it is (I have not been able to find peer-reviewed journal articles on this device). The entire thing could be a scam.

But if it isn't, it could mean that dry areas could be irrigated without rivers or canals. Packed cities could produce water without the need for massive waterworks. Water justice would be within reach of everyone.