Meet Watly: Solar Powered Water Purifier, Electricity and Internet Generator

Imagine an innovation that could provide clean drinking water, electricity, and Internet to third world countries. That’s exactly the idea behind a machine named Watly, invented by Italian entrepreneur, Marco Attisani.

Meet Watly

Watly is a solar-powered computer weighing 15 tons that can purify water, produce electricity, and provide Wi-Fi connectivity of up to 500 meters. The concept has been in production since 2013, when Attisani introduced Watly 1.0. This solar powered machine was able to purify 50 liters of water per day. Then came Watly 2.0 in its testable phase. This solar powered machine has been able to provide a small village in Ghana with drinkable water.

With the help of crowdfunding, Attisani hopes to finish the full-sized concept, Watly 3.0 in another location in Africa that will also generate electricity. This one is said to provide 5,000 liters of drinking water per day, for up to 15 years, while generating solar powered electricity for as many as 3,000 people! It is also said that the machine will be able to reduce as much as 1,000 tons of greenhouse gases (the equivalent of 2,500 barrels of oil). It’s H-Shaped structure allows the machine to generate free electricity by following the sun’s path throughout the entire day.

So, how does this innovation work? Watly purifies water without any filters. The contaminated water enters the machine through solar pumps, and uses graphene, a material produced from sheet layers of carbon, to separate out salt, chemicals, and other pollutants in water. Then, the water is purified by using a “vapor compression distillation” process. After the Watly 3.0 concept is created, the machine will be able to generate 70 kilowatt hours of electricity per day using photo-voltaic panels. Its off grid capabilities allow the machine to charge external devices, as well as its internal components.

The end goal for Watly is to combine the three necessities for a developing country: drinkable water, electricity, and connectivity. With the power of solar electricity, the use of telecommunication devices for Internet capabilities is definitely there. The Internet functionality will work via a central communication platform, aside from the connection of many Watly machines “talking” together with a radio-link, 3G and 4G networks, and/or satellite. The use of Internet in countries like Africa give children access to education and entertainment, something other parts of the world take for granted every day.

For Watly to become a reality, investments from companies and governments is a must. The crowdfunding program will also help raise money for Watly 3.0 to impact the lives of 3,000 people living in the dark, with a scarce amount of drinkable water. If you would like to see the first solar-powered water purifier, electricity generator, and Internet producing machine become a reality for people all over the world, please visit https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/the-biggest-solar-powered-computer-in-the-world#/ to learn more about contributing to a wonderful innovation!

Sources:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/2016/04/23/the-water-purifier-that-also-generates-electricity-and-creates-w/

http://www.treehugger.com/solar-technology/watly-combination-solar-powered-water-purifier-and-wifi-access.html

https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/the-biggest-solar-powered-computer-in-the-world#/