Culture
Creating Fresh, Drinkable Water Powered Only by Ocean Waves
A North Carolina startup thinks its desalination device can solve water crises in coastal communities, on islands, and after disasters.
“Water, water everywhere / Nor any drop to drink”: Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s adage might prove literally true within our lifetimes. Currently, 150 million people live in cities with a perennial shortage of fresh water, and by 2050, this number will increase to nearly 1 billion. On top of that, climate change is expected to cause water shortages for an additional 100 million city-dwellers.
The predictions are dire, but two recent college graduates have invented a solution that could increase fresh-water availability, simply by harnessing the power—and the water—of the ocean.