MIT Battery-Free Solar Electrodialysis¶
Membranes & Advanced Filtration • Est. CapEx: Low-cost / Locally fabricated
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 | Membranes & Advanced Filtration |
| Capital Cost | Low-cost / Locally fabricated |
| 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. |
| Target Scale | Household / Village Cluster |
| Standard Lifespan | 10 - 20 Years |
Cross-Reference & Interactive Tools¶
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