Investor Spotlight

energy and carbon intensive, costly, and produces a toxic brine that is often discharged into the marine environment.”

According to one report published in Nature, Each 1000 cubic meters of seawater processed releases as much as 6.7 tons of CO2. And with new desalination plants popping up across the world each year – that’s a whole lot of emissions.

Furthermore, in most desalination processes, for every litre of potable water produced, about 1.5 litres of toxic brine – a combination of salty water and chemicals – is created.

These two factors hinder the viability of the desalination industry and threaten the health of the planet.

Thankfully, in recent years there has been a surge of innovations and new ideas looking to drive a stepchange in the way we extract freshwater from the sea.

One of these innovators is Desolenator, a Londonbased startup founded in 2014, that says it has developed the world’s first solar thermal desalination technology which delivers net-zero water.

The company aims to provide water to communities in dry and often remote regions, but with minimal environment impacts. It does this by tackling desalination’s current pitfalls head on.

Desolentor uses solar panels to power the entire system. More specifically, a ‘hybrid’ type of solar panel which is a combination of regular PV and solar thermal technology – known as Photovoltaic Thermal (PVT).

“Harnessing both the electrical and thermal properties of the sun makes it up to four times more efficient than regular solar panels,” says Louise.

The electrical energy is used to power the control systems, auxillary systems and pumps, while the thermal energy powers the Multi Effect Desalination (MED) unit. An MED evaporates sea water at low temperatures in order to produce clean distillate water.

While most MEDs are the size of a house, Desolenator has reduced there’s to about the size of a car – making it modular and easier to setup in remote areas.

By using this method, the company avoids using membranes or harmful chemicals which in turn avoids the production of a toxic brine.

The company is currently looking to certify their brine as ‘ocean safe’. In fact, Desolenator is one of the only desalination companies to be funded by an ocean impact fund – a testament to their proactiveness on the problem.

After years of R&D and pilot projects, Desolenator launched their first fully operational solar thermal desalination plant in Dubai in March. The pilot plant has a capacity of 20,000 litres per day and was launched in collaboration with the Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA).

The success of the pilot plant would technically validate Desolenator’s technology, which would have significant implications for the region and beyond, the company said.

After the successful completion of this project, Desolenator and DEWA intend to establish a joint venture company with the aim of commercialising this technology.

“The partnership between DEWA and Desolenator embodies the importance of fruitful cooperation between the public and private sectors to develop new solutions based on the latest technologies to meet the various challenges,” said Khalfan Belhoul, Chief Executive Officer of Dubai Future Foundation.

The pilot plant was installed at DEWA’s Jebel Ali Power Plant and Desalination Complex. This gas- and -oil powered facility is the largest seawater desalination plant in the world – producing a whopping 2 billion litres of freshwater per day.

The two plants now stand side by side – the old and the new.

Countries like Dubai rely on desalination for their livelihoods but up till now this process has been completely reliant on fossil fuels. As solar power becomes increasingly price-competitive and the climate emergency ever more urgent, solar desalination increasingly becomes the only viable option.

“To address the global water and climate crisis, we need new forms of collaboration between innovators and organisations and DEWA have shown a vision and support that stands as a great example for the world,” concludes William Janssen, CEO of Desolenator.

‘‘ The current approach to desalination is simply unsustainable

Interview with IDE Water Technologies

Nilly Maik

Head of Marketing IDE Water Technologies

A world leader in water treatment solutions, IDE specialises in the development, engineering, construction and operation of enhanced desalination and industrial water treatment plants for clients around the globe.

Climate change is water change. Do you agree? Climate change is impacting our planet’s water resources. Long-lasting heat waves directly impact water availability - and ultimately, add to the already problematic water scarcity. By 2025, two-thirds of the global population may be struggling with water shortages, so it’s vital that people and organisations explore every avenue to mitigate the scarcity, including the technology available to us.

How do you think climate change will impact your business? Climate change is undeniably getting worse and now we see people increasingly taking a stand on the issue through government funded relief packages to fight climate change. With climate change now top of mind for many, leaders will more frequently turn to IDE (and companies alike) to adopt desalination technologies and industrial water treatment solutions. In short, IDE’s capabilities will become more needed as climate challenges worsen.

How does your water solution help us prepare for an uncertain water future? IDE’s solutions are designed to alleviate water challenges while simultaneously minimising the environmental impact. We continuously invest in reducing the ecological footprint of our offerings, achieving the industry’s lowest energy consumption for all three dominant desalination technologies and industrial water treatment solutions. We keep our finger on the pulse of all water-related environmental challenges and bring our innovative technologies to regions in need around the globe. If you could make one type of water innovation mainstream overnight, which would it be?

Desalination technology is in the limelight right now as much of the country’s household drinking water relies on this process. Yet, it is pertinent that industry applications adopt brine minimisation technologies, given that 20% of total water withdrawals globally are used for industrial purposes. We need to get everyone enthused about desalination capabilities - including large companies and municipalities - to see real change.

What does a ‘water positive’ future look like to you? When we attain a ‘water positive’ future, we will be able to sustain the needs of people and nature, keeping ecosystems thriving and feeding the growing human population. Water scarcity can only be overcome with advanced technology and earthconscious people working towards the same goal: preserving our natural resources. IDE can play an instrumental part in forging the path to a “water positive” future by providing high-quality, clean water to areas dealing with detrimental scarcity.

By 2025, two-thirds of the global population may be struggling with water shortages