MIT Battery-Free Solar Electrodialysis¶
Water Quality & Sensors • Est. CapEx: Custom Engineering / Quoted • Lifespan: 15 Years (Standardized)
Technical Overview¶
MIT engineers developed a trailer-mounted groundwater desalination system that directly couples solar PV to electrodialysis without batteries or grid backup. Over months of testing, it harnessed over 94% of generated solar energy to produce up to 5,000 liters of clean water daily.
Key Specifications & Engineering Parameters¶
| Parameter | Specification |
|---|---|
| Category | Water Quality & Sensors |
| Capital Cost (CapEx) | Custom Engineering / Quoted |
| Power / Energy | Solar PV / Thermal |
| Target Scale | Community Scale |
| Standard Lifespan | 15 Years (Standardized) |
| Technology Maturity | Field Tested |
| Primary Mechanism | A central "flow command-current control" module reads solar irradiance multiple times per second and dynamically adjusts the voltage applied to an ion-exchange membrane stack and the rate at which water is pumped through it. This real-time matching maximizes salt removal without energy storage. |
Cross-Reference & Interactive Tools¶
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