SRain
Drinking water

SRain

The innovative solution for producing drinking water using 100% renewable energy

Clean water powered by solar energy

The aim of the SRain solution is to enable the production of clean drinking water using 100% renewable energy.

If you have salt water or dirty water and sunshine, SRain will enable you to produce clean water through a process quite similar to natural rainfall.

Clean water covers many different concepts, including high-quality drinking water (generally of bottled water quality), tap water or water for agricultural use.

SRain can be adapted to produce the required quality in the most efficient way.

SRain must be tailored to your requirements in terms of the desired output and your local conditions (specifications of the ‘raw’ water, local solar radiation, etc.).

Once everything is set up, your water production plant will produce clean water day after day, year after year, with virtually no supervision, as maintenance requirements are extremely low.

In absolute terms, SRain can be very effectively combined with our other proprietary solutions such as GSun or EnergyPier for an environmentally friendly approach!

Benefits

Ensures a steady water supply without any interruptions, thanks to the tank
Once the initial investment has been made, it is very cost-effective, as there are no energy costs
No nuisance to the neighbourhood, as the solution produces no noise, unpleasant odours or other similar disturbances
Requires very little maintenance
Works in all normal weather conditions (in a suitable location)
Estimated lifespan of 30 years (subject to appropriate maintenance)
Environmentally friendly, with the environmental cost of the photovoltaic component (manufacturing) being recouped within two years, whilst the cost of the vacuum tubes will be recouped within a few months
A continuous water supply does not mean using large, expensive batteries that need replacing every four years and generate polluting waste... but rather using a simple tank! (Batteries may, however, be recommended to keep the plant running even when there is little sunlight.)
Good scalability provided the necessary space is available
No depletion or damage to the aquifer

General Explanation

The possible configurations are unlimited, depending on the total consumption required, the quality of the inlet and outlet water, the local solar insulation conditions, the available space, etc.

It is therefore not possible to provide a comprehensive price list.

We will give you an example based on the plant currently in operation in San Diego, California.

This was the first time this product had been manufactured. It is therefore reasonable to expect that others will perform even better. Please consider the following data as a rough guide for your information.

Important!

Only a personalised assessment would be able to identify the solution that perfectly meets your needs whilst taking your specific requirements into account.

The calculation of the price per litre produced is a rough estimate and takes into account the following factors: a return on investment of 4%, service life and maintenance costs based on the figures provided in San Diego, with an hourly labour rate of USD 10.

This does not take into account the improvements we hope to be able to make.

Description of the implemented components

A complete installation consists of

Solar modules designed for heat generation (usually vacuum tubes)
Solar modules to generate electricity for the pumps
Various storage tanks for water, steam or to produce simulated natural rain
Pumps to pump dirty water or assist with the various exchanges involved in the process
Various filters and other devices to ensure optimal water quality

Schematic diagram

Configuration example

Location
In the San Diego area, California
Total cost
USD 1,090,000
Included
Development
studies Tanks
Pumps
All pipes and fittings inside the plant
Drainage pipes for 1,100 m²
Solar modules for 25 kWp
Solar batteries capable of covering 3 days’ electricity
requirements On-site
installation and briefing Packaging and transport
Not included
Local taxes and any customs duties
Production capacity
Approximately 4,000 litres per day of top-quality
drinking water or
43,800,000 litres over the first 30 years
, or
approximately 11,000 litres per day of tap
water equivalent or
120,450,000 litres over the first 30 years
Maintenance costs
Spare parts = USD 20,000/year or USD 600,000/30Y
Servicing = USD 8,000/year or USD 240,000/30Y
Capital costs
USD 43,600 per year or USD 1,308,000 over 30 years
Cost per litre produced
USD 0.074/litre for high-quality
drinking water USD 0.027/litre for ‘tap water’ quality drinking water