Drinking Water From the Sea, Thanks to the Sun

In the wake of yet another natural disaster, two local companies are collaborating to solve a major post-disaster problem — supplying the affected population with clean drinking water, without power and without a fresh water source.  

At the  on Tuesday, Santa Clara-based Forever Pure showed off its self contained water desalination and purification unit. The unit was powered by a mobile solar power generator manufactured by San Leandro-based Renewables West.

Together, these units could be deployed following a natural disaster to provide clean drinking water to an area whose power and water systems have been crippled. Tuesday's event marked the first time in history that a contained desalination, purification system has been operated using only solar power. 

The technology displayed during the event is drawing international attention. Former San Leandro Mayor Tony Santos was on hand and says he is in contact with foreign organizations who may be interested in employing this technology abroad.

"We're working on seeing how we can get these systems operating in China, India, and Afghanistan," Santos said.  

Take a look at the accompanying video to see the units in action.

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