Israeli Water-From-Air Tech Firm To Launch Solar-Powered Home Generator

Israeli company Watergen (also Water-gen), known for developing patented technology that turns air into drinking water, developed a solar-powered version of its at-home water generator Genny set to hit the market later this year.

The generator, named Solar Genny, runs on solar energy and is suitable for more remote locations such as rural villages and centers, where electricity access can be unstable and unreliable.

The device is based on the Genny, Watergen’s at-home water appliance first rolled out last year. The Genny is capable of producing between 25-30 liters (6.6-7.9 gallons) of water per day using the company’s heat-exchange GENius technology. The generator first collects water vapor in the air and then cools the air at its dew point, after which the water goes through physical, chemical and biological treatment followed by a mineralization process to maintain its cleanliness, tastiness and healthy quality, Watergen has explained.

Solar Genny operates the same way – minus the need for electricity – and can generate up to 13 liters (3.5 gallons) of water a day.

The Genny was featured in TIME magazine‘s “best inventions of 2019” (alongside eight other Israeli innovations) and earned the company an award at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in January

Both the Genny and Solar Genny, which look like water coolers, are not cheap; Genny retails for an estimated $1,500 while Solar Genny will run between $5,000-8,000 depending on installation, location, and configuration. But the company says its tech can help revolutionize the water consumption industry by eliminating the use of plastic bottles and providing continuous access to clean drinking water at any time.

Watergen also has a number of other applications and its generators are used in disaster relief and humanitarian aid operations as well as community development across the world.

Founded in 2009, the company develops and manufactures the GEN-350 model, a medium-scale atmospheric water generator which produces up to 600 liters of clean water per day, the large-scale Atmospheric Water Generator (AWG), and the Emergency Response Vehicle (ERV), which transports Watergen units in emergency situations and natural disasters. Watergen’s generators have been used in countries like India, South Africa, Vietnam, Sierra Leone, China, Uzbekistan, and the US.