In Abu Dhabi's Masdar City, the world's first continuous commercial water production project using renewable energy sources will kick off this August. A statement released to clarify the project's details announced that it will be operated by the US-based company "Aqwyfum," in collaboration with the Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company "Masdar" and Khalifa University of Science and Technology, under a research and development agreement involving all three entities.
The statement indicated that "the project will focus on testing and evaluating a technology for producing water from air, developed by Aqwyfum," particularly when applied on a large scale using renewable energy. It will also explore the possibility of employing this technology in current or future sustainable water projects.
It is important to note that the technology for extracting water from the air relies on renewable energy and will assist in providing water while being free of carbon emissions. The project will receive green energy from a project by the Swedish company "Azelio AB," which is set up at a solar energy institute platform, where a "Stirling" heat storage system is being tested to generate electricity around the clock, according to the newspaper "Emirates Today."
Abdullah Balala, the Executive Director of Sustainable Urban Development at Masdar, explained the importance of developing technologies that contribute to securing safe water sources. He added, "The experimental Aqwyfum project will be established at the Masdar Institute of Solar Energy affiliated with Khalifa University, located in Masdar City, and the operation will be completely free of carbon emissions, relying entirely on renewable energy."
He continued: "The project will contribute to enhancing water security at both the regional and global levels, in line with the UAE's Water Security Strategy 2036." He noted that "Masdar City currently hosts over 900 companies focused on developing innovative technologies in key sectors such as renewable energy, energy storage, artificial intelligence, health, space, and mobility."
Robert Wood, CEO of Technology at Aqwyfum, indicated that "the support for the global green transition and advancing its progress along with ensuring water security all require a complete shift towards relying on renewable energy for our operations to provide sustainable water sources."
In this context, Nicola Calve, an assistant professor of mechanical engineering at Khalifa University and the founder and head of the Masdar Institute of Solar Energy platform, who is a chief researcher in the project, noted: "Previously, we focused on concentrated solar energy and thermal energy storage, but we are moving towards diversifying research and development activities within the Masdar Institute of Solar Energy platform to include a focus on producing clean water," emphasizing that "solar energy and water should be two main axes of research and development activities in the UAE."
He pointed out that "this project will last for 12 months and will provide important performance data covering a full annual weather cycle."
Furthermore, Mohammed Al Qubaisi, the CEO of Aqwyfum Middle East, considered that "the great interest shown by the state's leadership in this field, along with the focus on the long-term health and safety of citizens and residents, has been a catalyst for research, investment, and participation in this distinguished project."
Finally, Dawn Lewis, CEO of Aqwyfum USA, emphasized that "this project serves as a launchpad for the commercial market for air water extraction systems."
