Here is another idea that emerged from our recent Taking the temperature consultation, in which Sustainable Communities SA members were invited to put forward their ideas on topics and issues that are important to them.

Sustainable Communities member Charlie Madden is looking for someone with a tidal sea side property to allow him to trial his invention.

Charlie says:

The world population is forecast to grow to 10 billion in 2050. Fresh water will need to be found for an extra 3 billion people in 34 year’s time.  We can do it. We can make and distribute fresh water every day around the world, from the sea using renewables by 2050.

Part of the solution is seen as TideWater. 65% of the world lives within 30 km of the sea. In some places the tide range is 1 metre – elsewhere 10 metres. But it doesn’t go in at night and doesn’t suffer from calms.

TideWater is seen as strings of partially filled buoys moored a little off shore, rising and falling on the tide. Each will have a cylinder below with a reverse osmosis filter fitted at the top. Inside the cylinder will be pistons connected to a foot on the sea bed. On a rising tide the buoy will lift sucking sea water through non return valves and flooding the cylinders.

At high tide the buoy will proceed down raising the pressure above the pistons to the 600 psi needed to force the brine through the reverse osmosis filters. Pure water will emerge and flow up to the holding tank mounted above the buoy to await collection by a ‘mother’ vessel. Hyper saline will be returned to the sea – as mother nature does when she makes the clouds.

They can be manufactured anywhere in the world.

See more here: www.waterboatman.com.au