SunShare Water™ - justindbilyeu/SunShare-Connect-Initiative- GitHub Wiki
🌊 SunShare Water™
“Where there is Sun, there can be Water.”
SunShare Water™ expands our solar-powered infrastructure to address the world’s most critical need: clean, safe drinking water. By integrating Atmospheric Water Generation (AWG) and solar-powered desalination systems into our modular SunShare hubs, we provide an elegant, decentralized solution to water scarcity—especially in underserved or climate-affected communities.
🌍 Why Water?
- 🌱 2.2 billion people lack reliable access to safe drinking water (UN, 2023)
- 🌡️ Drought-prone regions across the U.S. are experiencing escalating water crises
- 🧑🤝🧑 Communities with solar access often still lack clean water infrastructure
- 🧠 We see energy + connectivity + water as the new trinity of resilience
🔧 Technologies We Use
1. Atmospheric Water Generation (AWG)
AWG devices condense moisture from the air using solar energy.
- Ideal for humid, arid, and rural regions
- Produces 3–5 liters/day per panel (e.g., SOURCE Hydropanels)
- Fully off-grid with minimal maintenance
- Ideal for rooftops, airports, schools, and farms
2. Solar-Powered Desalination
For coastal or brackish regions, solar PV powers reverse osmosis or multi-effect distillation.
- Up to 10,000–35,000 liters/day from seawater or brackish sources
- Designed for coastal hospitals, disaster zones, and refugee sites
- ZLD (Zero-Liquid Discharge) tech in development for brine disposal
- Modular containerized or ground-mount integration with existing PV
🔗 Integration with SunShare Connect™
SunShare Water™ taps into existing SunShare Connect™ infrastructure:
- Uses surplus solar capacity or dedicated microinverter branches
- Real-time monitoring via SunShare Scout™ drone + sensor stack
- Water + Energy + Wi-Fi + EV Charging = one unified, resilient node
📊 Performance Metrics
| System Type | Output Capacity | Ideal Conditions | Energy Source | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SOURCE Hydropanel | 3–5 L/day/panel | Humidity > 20%, sunny | Rooftop PV | Ready |
| PV-RO Desalination | 5k–35k L/day | Coastal, brackish sites | Ground PV + battery | Pilot Pending |
| Hybrid Microgrid | Variable | Community-scale | Multi-PV system | Design Phase |
🧪 Pilot Project Pipeline
🔹 Phase I (Q3–Q4 2025)
- Launch 2 pilot sites:
- Rural airport (Gulf Coast, TX): AWG
- Coastal hospital (South TX): PV-RO
- Partner with: SOURCE, IIT Madras, Texas State University
🔹 Phase II (2026)
- Expand to 10 SunShare Water™ nodes
- Optimize water output vs. solar demand in hybrid zones
- Begin EPA/TCEQ compliance testing and open-source performance dashboard
⚖️ Regulatory Notes
- AWG: Complies with EPA Safe Drinking Water Act (TDS <500mg/L)
- Desalination: Requires TCEQ permits for brine handling
- Exploring ZLD (Zero-Liquid Discharge) options to minimize impact
- All units equipped with IoT-based remote water quality monitoring
💡 SunShare Water™ vs. Traditional Models
| Feature | SunShare Water™ | Diesel Generators | Municipal Grid Taps |
|---|---|---|---|
| Emissions | Zero | High CO₂ output | Grid-dependent |
| Maintenance | Minimal (solar-based) | High (fuel, parts) | Moderate |
| Setup Time | Weeks | Months | Variable |
| Community Ownership | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ |
| Add-on to Solar Hub | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ |
🌐 Our Inspiration
- GivePower Kenya: 35,000 L/day solar desalination for coastal villages
- SOURCE Global: Hydropanels in Navajo Nation, AZ schools
- MIT, IIT Madras: Breakthrough low-energy desalination membranes
📢 Call to Action
SunShare Water™ is ready for partners, pilots, and pioneers.
- Do you operate a hospital, airport, or campus in a water-stressed region?
- Want to sponsor a hub or contribute to the research?
- Join us in bringing dignity through decentralized water.
📩 Contact: (512-945-9720)
🌞 Solar-Integrated Water Layer (SIWL)
“If we're already taking up space with a panel to capture sunlight, why not also capture radiant heat to move water, generate thermal energy, or purify water?”
This section explores an innovation under development within SunShare Water™: a hybrid system that leverages the radiant heat of solar panels to perform dual-purpose work—generating electricity and processing water.
🔧 The Core Concept
Traditional solar panels convert ~15–22% of solar energy into electricity. The rest becomes heat, raising panel temps to 60–80°C (140–175°F). This excess heat is wasted—and actually reduces panel efficiency.
What if we reclaimed that heat?
By integrating microfluidic water channels or heat pipes beneath or within the panels, we can:
- ✅ Cool the panels → Increase electrical efficiency by up to 10%
- ✅ Heat the water → Enable desalination, distillation, thermal storage
- ✅ Unlock triple-use: Electricity + Water + Thermal Infrastructure
🌊 Potential Applications
1. Solar-Powered Desalination / Distillation
- Heated panel surface warms saline or brackish water
- Water evaporates and condenses on a shaded or cooled surface
- Produces potable water passively, with zero external power draw
2. Atmospheric Water Generation (AWG) Optimization
- Warm water or surfaces can accelerate moisture capture
- Thermal cycling enhances desorption/adsorption in AWG systems
3. Solar-Thermal Battery
- Circulate water during peak sun to store solar heat
- Deploy thermal energy at night for:
- Heating applications
- Water sterilization
- Enhanced AWG output
4. Microfluidic Control System
- Integrated radiant heat channels route water through:
- Filters
- Heat exchangers
- Phase-change reservoirs
- Enables low-voltage or passive operation in remote regions
⚙️ Technology Mapping
| Tech Feature | Exists Today | SunShare Edge |
|---|---|---|
| PVT Panels (Photovoltaic-Thermal) | ✅ | We propose a modular, fluid-embedded, mass-scalable design |
| Solar Stills | ✅ | We integrate PV waste heat to enhance throughput |
| AWG Pre-Heating | 🔶 | We passively drive moisture harvesting with radiant panel heat |
| Thermal Storage in PV Systems | 🔴 | We create layered convergence within the panel itself |
🧪 Design Considerations
- Heat-conductive backsheet layer (e.g., aluminum or graphene composites)
- Embedded water channels (e.g., PEX or capillary tubing)
- Flow control system (passive siphon or thermostatic valve)
- Insulated housing to maintain thermal gradients
- Optional: Phase-change materials for nighttime discharge
🚀 Vision: The Full-Spectrum Panel
With this innovation, SunShare Water™ aims to create the world’s first full-spectrum rooftop module:
One layer. One footprint. Multiple functions.
Electricity. Water. Heat. All from the sun.
🛠 Next Steps
- Feasibility analysis of radiant water loops in PV manufacturing
- Partnership outreach with thermal + microfluidic researchers
- Prototyping small-scale rooftop unit for Texas Gulf Coast AWG testing
- Integrate this system into the broader SunShare Core Stack
🌍 Why It Matters
Water scarcity affects over 2 billion people globally.
Wasted panel heat affects every rooftop in the world.
This hybrid innovation lets us solve both problems using the same sunlight.
Solar panels shouldn’t just generate power.
They should move water. Heal heat. And regenerate the land beneath them.
Stay tuned as we explore this concept further under the SunShare Water™ pilot framework.