New Solar Device from Saudi Arabia Can Do Two Tricks at Once

Researchers in Saudi Arabia have built the prototype of a device that uses solar panels to create electricity while simultaneously desalinating water, providing green energy as well as pure water where it is needed most.

The new solar-power device can significantly ease the interconnected issues of water and energy – where producing one resource normally drains the other – and benefit the environment as well as millions of people in water-scarce regions.

The researches wrote that the solar panel is additionally cost-effective for energy companies, as it can simultaneously produce around 1.7 litres an hour of pure water that meets the World Health Organization’s safety standards.

“It is our hope that we move quickly to push this technology towards its large-scale adoption,” said researcher Peng Wang, to The Guardian.