desert

The Atacama desert is one of the most arid places on the planet. And right there a handful of “crazy” is trying to get water out of the fog

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The oceans and seas house, According to estimates Used by the United States Geological Service (USGS), more than 96.5% of the water on our planet. In contrast, The atmosphere contains A modest 0.001% of this total. The clouds, fog and moisture of the air itself contains somewhat less than 13,000 cubic kilometers that also represent 0.04% of the planet’s fresh water. But in contexts in which the drought squeezes, each drop can count. Collecting water from the fog. A group of researchers He has successfully tested A method to obtain water from the fog. The system was able to collect between 0.2 and 5 liters of water per square meter and day. Secarral To test the method, the team responsible for the analysis resorted to the Municicpio of Alto Hospicio, located in the Atacama desert. This desert houses some of the most arid areas on the planet, in which rainfall barely reaches the annual millimeter. The city depends for its supply of the water contained in underground aquifers, but According to the team itselfthese have not been duly recharged in a period of between 10,000 and 17,000 years. The city extends rapidly and fruit of it around 10,000 of its residents live in informal settlements, almost all of them disconnected from the water supply system. “The collection and use of water, especially unconventional sources such as fog water, represents a key opportunity to improve the quality of life of the inhabitants,” explained in a press release Virginia Carter Hamberini, co -author of the study. A “new” method … A study that managed to show the potential of this technology. The team tested these mechanisms in the surroundings of the city of Alto Hospicio for a year, obtaining between 0.2 and 5 liters per square meter and day. Between August and September 2024, during the season of greatest activity, it was possible to reach up to 10 liters per square meter and day. “This research represents a notorious change in the perception of the use of water from fog, from a rural and rather small -scale solution to a practical water source for cities,” adds Carter Humberini. “Our findings show that fog can serve as a complementary source of urban water in dry areas where climate change exacerbates water deficiencies” The mechanism also has its limitations, they clarify. One of them is that its use is limited to high elevations outside the city limits. … that is not so new. The collection of fog water is not something novel, as Carter Haberini recalls, but it can be a convenient method to be climbed in a context like the present. The Fog Water Collection Appliancessuch as the one used in the study, they consist of a network through which the air loaded with moisture circulates. Part of that moisture is coupled to the fibers of the network and falls through them to a channel that leads to a deposit. The water of the deposit can thus be used in a variety of uses such as human consumption or agriculture. The details of the experiment were published In an article In the magazine Frontiers in Environmental Science. Learning lessons. The viability of fog water collection depends on the geographical characteristics of the environment: both climate and orography can affect the ability of this mechanism to provide water. These favorable conditions can occur in some areas of Spain, where already There are those who consider similar projects. In Xataka | Get drinking water with the brute force of the waves: the ambitious plan of the Canary Islands to face the drought Image | Virginia Carter Haberini

Emirates financed a study to know if it can cause rain in the desert with solar farms. The answer is yes

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As water It becomes a more precious resource than oila group of scientists has analyzed if solar farms can have an even more beneficial effect than generating energy with sunlight: making it rain in the desert, offering the communities most affected by drought water and renewable energy at the same time . Climate engineering against drought. Given the drama of its waning water resources, the United Arab Emirates government financed a study published by German researchers in Earth System Dynamics. The researchers proposed to create artificial heat islands by installing large black surfaces (ideally, solar panel farms) to enhance precipitation in arid areas. A promising result. The scientists simulated the impact of these surfaces with advanced models and obtained surprising results. A heat island of 20 km² induces an increase in rains 571,616 m³ a day. This could be translated into water supplies for about 31,000 people. Only with an area of ​​20 km². But the interesting thing about study is not its quantitative results, but the possibility of implementing these surfaces taking advantage of existing infrastructure, such as photovoltaic solar panels. This solution would not only address water scarcity but also contribute to renewable energy production. How it works. That a farm of solar panels can induce rain is not a very intuitive concept, but it is something that He has been studying for a while, particularly in the Sahara. These facilities, by absorbing heat with their dark panels, could create ascending currents that, under the right conditions, would trigger rain storms. When these farms exceed a certain size (about 15 km²), the heat absorbed by the panels, in contrast to the most reflective sand, significantly increases the convection currents necessary for cloud formation. Areas where we know is viable. For this process to work, a source of atmospheric humidity is needed. The models showed that the wet winds of great height from the Persian Gulf are enough, to the joy of Emirates. The researchers also identified other areas of the world where it could work, such as Namibia and the Peninsula of Baja California in Mexico. Some limitations. The initiative requires darker surfaces than those commonly produced by solar panel manufacturers. Some panels are even reflective to improve your thermal performance. However, the Construction of increasingly large solar farmsespecially in China, they open the door to try the idea in the real world. It won’t be simple, of course. The implementation of gigantic heat islands raises logistic, but also ecological and social challenges. For example, how would these surfaces affect local biodiversity? What would be the visual and social impact on nearby communities? You need more research and pilot tests to discover it. The case of Emirates. The United Arab Emirates government, which financed the study, is facing the shortage of two ways, mainly: desalination and sowing of clouds. The program of Cloud sowing through airplanes Plan about 300 missions every year, but like desalination, it is an expensive method with limitations. In this context, large solar farm surfaces are a promising alternative. Image | Pixabay In Xataka | The regions of the world most threatened by drought, collected in a great interactive map In Xataka | The biggest problem of Perovskita’s solar panels was its durability. China has just resolved it *An earlier version of this article was published in February 2024

In full desert, Saudi Arabia is preparing its next great energy bet with the help of a partner: China

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Saudi Arabia is facing a fiscal deficit Due to the expensive investments in projects such as The Line, which are part of their 2030 vision to diversify its economy. However, one part compensates for another, and that is that the Saudi country is focused in covering everything with solar panelsbut it has not taken into account until now where it could store energy. Short. Saudi Arabia has officially connected the largest energy storage system (Bess) in the world in Bisha, province of ‘Asir. The project has achieved a milestone in the country’s strategy due to a 500 MW/2000 MWh battery system. The operating company is Saudi Electric Company and uses advanced technology supplied by ByD. A larger initiative. The project, called Bisha Bess, is part of a broader initiative of the Arab country to further strengthen your renewable energy infrastructure. The nation is looking for more than half of its energy to come from renewable energiesso you have seen in storage the necessary component for this transition. Saudi Arabia has found that the batteries provide flexibility to the network and allows the integration of intermittent energy sources such as solar and wind. Apart from being part of the National Vision 2030 Plan, Bisha Bess is part of different large -scale storage initiatives. In an ongoing tender, the list of 33 prequalified bidders was published in early January and revealed that Masdar, Acwa Power, EDF and Totalenergies compete for 15 -year storage service contracts. 122 storage units. The Chinese company byd have prefabricated the 122 units, each integrates a 6MW energy conversion system (PCs) along with four iron and lithium phosphate batteries (LFP) batteries, each with a capacity of 5,365MWH. The design is modular to optimize space, improve system integration and minimize failure points. Desert construction. Although the batteries were supplied by the Chinese company byd, the project was carried out by a consortium formed by State Grid Corporation of China and Alfanar Projectswho were in charge of engineering, equipment acquisition and installation construction. The installation, located in an extremely challenging desert environment, has presented significant difficulties, such as high temperatures and frequent sand storms. To deal with these obstacles, the engineers perfected the installation techniques and optimized the start -up processes, ensuring the reliability of the long -term system. If you can’t with them, join them. This famous phrase can be attributed to the Saudi kingdom, who has thought about China. At the time he began to enter this race for the renewables, Arabia Saudi began to great. However, in the field of Megaestructures and renewablethe Asian giant has no rival. Although the Arab country is developing different projects in renewables, others that also integrate clean sources such as the city of Neom, is not having the expected success. However, there is a sector where you could compete with China: nuclear energy. The kingdom has the ability to Extract and process Uranium, which would position him as a key actor. Image | Red Sea Project SA Xataka | Saudi Arabia has just opened another of its colossal projects: the world’s longest driver transport system

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