At the edge of the Atacama Desert, one of the driest places on Earth, communities are extracting water using the sun. For the past decade, Chile has suffered from a protracted drought. Exacerbating the issue is the high cost of water, which is privatised in the country. This leaves people in informal settlements with limited access to clean water. Yet for those living on the coastline, there is an abundance of sunlight and seawater. Harnessing these reserves, designer Henry Glogau has developed a solar desalination skylight that is supporting locals to become self-sustaining.
“As the world faces more climate-related issues, water scarcity will be at the forefront of this,” Glogau says. He first created the light while completing his master’s degree at the Royal Danish Academy, where he analysed how best to design for arid environments. In collaboration with the Chilean NGO TECHO, Glogau was able to better understand the challenges local communities face, including a lack of reliable water and electricity services. “This project takes a holistic approach to providing Chile’s coastal informal settlements with water, light, and energy,” Glogau says.
With the skylight, people are able to hand pump collected seawater into the contraption, where heat from the sun causes it to evaporate and condense into purified water. This process can provide up to 440 millilitres of drinkable water a day. The remaining salt brine is then used to power an LED strip and provide a night light.
“I hope that people look at the simple idea and start to consider how they can apply it within their own context,” Glogau says. During workshops in Chile, he has also shared with communities how to create their own desalination systems with recyclable waste, in turn providing water for gardens. By bolstering an autonomous use of resources, Glogau is helping people be resilient amid a changing climate.
Footage by Henry Glogau was used in the creation of this film.
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