There are over 793 million people without access to fresh water. To solve this issue, we’ve created SAROS, a wave-powered desalination system which uses the energy in waves to access the nearly limitless supply of water found in our oceans. We’re completely removing the dependency on electricity and fossil fuels, and creating one of the first environmentally conscious desalination systems that will allow us to bring affordable fresh water to coastal areas across the globe.
SAROS can provide a sustainable fresh water supply for remote islands and coastal regions without using fossil fuels or electricity by using wave energy, operating completely off the grid.
While we’re seeking collaborative efforts with researchers, organizations and strategic partners to further advance our program, we need YOUR initial support to help us get our project above water. By supporting our campaign, you’ll be helping us make strides to get fresh water to people who need it the most all around the world. Join us in our efforts to responsibly turn waves into fresh water. Your support is what will make all the difference.
A significant supply of energy exists in our oceans, yet harnessing this energy in a useful and efficient manner has been a challenge…until now.
We decided to take on that challenge and developed our first proof of concept. After building multiple systems and conducting countless tests, we took everything we learned and used it to build our latest prototype. From our first prototype to our current prototype, we have come a long way and hope that you’ll help us continue our research and development.
Engineers Chris Matthews and Justin Sonnett have kept the design of SAROS simple. By using common components, they’re able to place them above water and on shore to avoid complicated installation and maintenance. By concentrating only on fresh water production and not electricity production, SAROS has much higher efficiency. By eliminating energy-related emissions, SAROS’ new design and adaptability provide a unique opportunity to supply clean water, expand the water supply, preserve ecological and environmental needs of communities and address economic issues of energy and water pricing.
Fresh water scarcity has become a primary global issue and current market technologies focus on large-scale desalination plants, which are harmful to the environment and have high operating expenses. While small-scale desalination systems are on the market, they have complicated components, don’t promote sustainability and require imported fossil fuels or large amounts of electricity. Supporting SAROS’ sustainable ways will help make the endeavors to create fresh water better for the world and more attainable for others.
Typical desalination processes can be taxing on the environment, especially coastal communities. Unlike traditional methods that require a huge amount of power, typically generated by burning fuel oil, SAROS uses clean, renewable wave energy and produces zero emissions and minimal salt brine concentration.
SAROS also creates the opportunity to bring desalination to less developed regions that are in dire need of fresh drinking water. By removing dependencies on outside resources, communities will be able to focus on their daily tasks as SAROS provides them with a consistent supply of new, fresh water.
SAROS can cut the cost currently associated with producing fresh water in half. By utilizing only the energy within ocean waves to power the desalination process, SAROS eliminates the need for fossil fuel and electricity, which is typically required for traditional desalination methods. It’s time for everyone to have access to affordable, clean water.
The innovative, wave-powered technology used in SAROS could also be configured to do things like generate electricity, autonomously pump water to clean up oil spills or even filter plastic from our ocean. The amount of potential good that SAROS can bring is as exciting as it is endless.
The global water shortage affects people from around the world, especially those in challenging economic situations who can’t afford costly water delivery options. Imagine if you had to walk hours every day just to get fresh water for you and your family. Often times, families in Africa, South Asia and the Middle East designate women and children, particularly young girls, to be responsible for gathering water.
Women in areas with water shortages can spend several hours a day in the pursuit of fresh water, taking away from the time they could be using to work or pursue an education. Sometimes women and children even drop out of school for reasons related to water scarcity.
By introducing fresh water sources closer to these communities that need it the most, you can help alleviate these issues. Studies show that girls’ school attendance increased significantly for every hour reduction in water collection. Children are also healthier when clean water is accessible. By introducing eco-friendly solutions, such as SAROS, you have the potential to impact women and children in important educational, economic and political ways.
SAROS has been named a finalist at the 2016 Savannah Ocean Exchange where we will present our sustainable water innovation this November!SAROS has also received plenty of awards and recognition including being named as a semi-finalist at Hello Tomorrow Competition and the St. Andrew Prize for the Environment.
SAROS started as a senior design project at the University of North Carolina, Charlotte. Chris Matthews and Justin Sonnett, then seniors in the Mechanical Engineering program, had a goal to prove that it is possible to sufficiently pressurize water and perform Reverse Osmosis (RO) using only wave energy. After graduation, Chris and Justin were given the opportunity to advance the SAROS technology and provide a solution for the water scarcity problem plaguing coastal communities. SAROS’ mission is far from over. In fact, it’s just the beginning and it starts with you.
We firmly believe SAROS is an answer to fresh water supply issues currently experienced by isolated island and coastal communities and will become a player in the much-needed diversification of even the developed world’s water supply.
Our team of advisors is comprised of industry leaders with decades of experience in the financial, energy and sustainability sectors. These members have dedicated valuable time and resources and have contributed to the success of our inaugural venture, SAROS Desalination.
By proving that we can turn ocean waves into clean, drinkable, fresh water with our first SAROS prototype, the team is now moving to the next phase of testing and optimizing our current prototype. By focusing solely on water production and targeting areas in need of sustainable, small-scale desalination, our team has identified a clear market for advancing the SAROS technology.
Chris has always enjoyed tackling new and difficult problems, and is now taking the opportunity to face two of the world’s biggest challenges: the global need for fresh water, and the ever growing threat of climate change. An environmentalist and humanitarian, Chris is using his passion for problem solving, and his training as an engineer, to help make SAROS a success. As co-creator of SAROS and a founding member of the company, his main engineering focus centers on mathematical and computer modeling, as well as analysis of system characteristics and performance. Additionally he focuses on the design and implementation of instrumentation and data acquisition methods for testing.
His whole life, Justin has been fascinated by how things work, their form and their function. Passionate about engineering, technology and design, he’s experienced with bringing innovative ideas from the back of the napkin to reality. As one of the founding members and Director of Research & Development, Justin’s role spans engineering and design in order to implement creative solutions, optimize unit performance and maximize customer value. A lifelong surfer and lover of anything related to the beach, SAROS gives him the unique opportunity to merge his love for the waves with his passion for design. Justin loves to tinker and enjoys taking what he learns both in the garage and in the water, and applying it to engineering topics in the office.
Organización Pro Ambiente Sustentable (OPAS)
We’re currently partnering with an environmental non-profit, Organización Pro Ambiente Sustentable, that is located in Puerto Rico and focuses on implementing environmental programs to achieve sustainable island communities. Providing sustainable, fresh water solutions to areas in need will be a focal point of the partnership with OPAS. As part of this partnership, we will be conducting a pilot study on Cajo de Muertos, Ponce. SAROS will not just be supplying drinking water to this island population, but will be supporting the protection of the island by branching out to flora conservation as well.
Colorado Haiti Project (CHP)
SAROS is working with the Colorado Haiti Project (CHP) to initiate a pilot project in the community of Petit Trou de Nippes. CHP works in partnership with rural Haitian communities to support their rise out of extreme poverty. While construction of 12 safe water wells has eased their water crisis, Haitian groundwater is jeopardized by encroaching salt water. Additionally, the devastation wrought by a hurricane like Hurricane Matthew demonstrates just how fragile safe water sources are in these areas. SAROS has the potential to solve this crisis with a more sustainable solution.
Does SAROS make electricity?
SAROS does not currently make electricity. We could adapt the unit to do so, but our number one goal is to produce fresh water for people in need. We’ve found the economics are more favorable by focusing directly on producing water. By skipping the middle step of generating electricity and only desalinating water, the process becomes more efficient, simpler and less expensive.
What is desalination?
Desalination is the process of removing salt from water. With SAROS, we’re able to take seawater and remove enough salt to make drinkable water that can also be used for irrigation.
How much water does a SAROS unit make?
One SAROS machine can make around 3,500 gallons per day, and we can group units together to provide up to 50,000 gallons per site (10-20 units).
Could SAROS be used in California?
Sure! SAROS can be used anywhere located near an ocean, but California has such a dense and large population that our device may not be the best option for their widespread drought conditions. Desalination has a wide range of useful scales – you can find large desalination plants that make 50 million gallons a day and simpler systems that make just 100 gallons a day. Just like a single wind farm couldn’t possibly supply all of Los Angeles’ power demands, a single wave-powered desalination unit couldn’t possibly supply enough fresh water to a city as big as LA. However, a SAROS unit has the ability to aid smaller communities and townships in need, which is why they are our target markets.
How do you get the water back to shore?
Currently, we simply pump the water back to shore through a small, flexible hose.
Why hasn’t anyone done this before?
The time for a wave-powered desalination unit has never been better than right now. Environmental concerns and water shortages are some of the hottest topics today. Innovation and development require the right amount of ingredients – money, motivation and knowledge – to make things happen. We have a very uniquecombination of those things that allow us to tackle something that others haven’t followed up on in the past.
Who needs/could benefit from a SAROS unit?
There are over 230 million people living on islands and in coastal communities that lack access to fresh water, as well as the resources and infrastructures to use traditional methods of retrieving water for drinking, washing and cooking. These communities are the target populations for a SAROS unit. Though really anybody looking for a less-expensive, environmentally-friendly, sustainable source of desalinated water could benefit from a SAROS unit as long as they lived close to the ocean.
How much water do people really need?
While this depends on the situation, a typical US household (family of 4) uses 400 gallons of water a day. The average person in the United States uses about 80-120 gallons of water per day and the largest use of household water is flushing a toilet. In “developing areas,” the World Health Organization reports that individuals use 11.6 gallons of water per day. In an emergency, an individual needs only 2 gallons of drinking water to survive, whereas 5-10 gallons would be required for eating, drinking and basic sanitation. This means that in an emergency, one SAROS unit could provide drinking water for 1,750 people. It’s also possible that one unit could provide the daily water requirements in a “developing area” for over 300 people.
Are we really running out of water? There seems to be plenty where I live.
Water usage and conservation are probably some of the most poorly understood concepts today. Water is a finite resource, but very few people treat it like one. The global average water footprint is 1,000 gallons of water per day, which includes domestic, industrial and agricultural usage. Domestic water use (household) is 8% of that total. Industrial use is 22% (i.e. food processing or clothing manufacturing) and agricultural is 70% (irrigation). It takes water to make the clothes we wear and the food we eat, let alone to get a drink when we’re thirsty. As water resources diminish around the world we will all be impacted. Coming up with sustainable solutions for our global water needs becomes more compelling every day.
How much does the water produced by a SAROS unit cost?
We’re on track to bring the cost of a gallon of desalinated water to 6/10 of a penny (0.6 cents) using the SAROS unit. Non-desalinated water is less expensive because it’s purified fresh water (usually from lake or groundwater). For example, in Charlotte, North Carolina (non-desalinated) water from a utility costs 3/10 of a penny. In Malibu, California water from a utility costs 8/10 of a penny due to demand and water shortage conditions. Desalinated water costs more, but it’s the only affordable, sustainable solution for smaller communities located near the ocean. For example, in the Virgin Islands it costs about 1.8 cents per gallon to buy water from a utility. SAROS’ water is about a third of that price.
How does the SAROS team collect enough data to know how to better their design?
Opening a second office in Wilmington, NC has provided the SAROS team with the opportunity to have the buoy on the water 24/7. This helps accelerate the development process and provides the team with valuable data on how it performs in varying wave conditions.