Hydro panels in East Timor harvesting water from the air.
Over the years we thirsty consumers have been sold mineral water and we’ve been sold sparkling water. We’ve been served spring water and even water from glaciers (apparently very good for us, not so good for the glaciers). In fact these days there is so much H2O choice that there exists such a thing as a ‘water sommelier’ in certain high-end restaurants and hotels.
But in an industry first, an international hospitality group is now serving up water made purely from sunlight and air.
Hotel group Accor is partnering with Source Global to bring what it describes as the world’s first truly sustainable bottled drinking water to Singapore hotels.
Accor will replace single-use plastic bottled water at key hotels around Singapore with drinking water in reusable glass bottles made by Source hydro panels. The hydro panels use solar-powered technology to harness the sun's power to extract water vapour in the air and transform it into potable water.
It’s claimed that each hydro panel can offset more than 50,000 regular plastic water bottles in its lifetime. And the main ingredient, the vapour, is of course endlessly renewable. Once harvested, the Source water is stored in glass bottles which are collected after use, cleaned and refilled at the Source ‘water farm’.
“We’re really proud to be partnering with Source on this incredible solution,” said Nigel Moore, Accor’s senior vice president for Food & Beverage in the region. “We’re looking forward to showcasing this great concept with our guests.”
The project is part of Accor's global commitment to eliminate single-use plastics in the guest experience, in accordance with the UN Global Tourism Plastics Initiative as well as Singapore's Resource Sustainability Bill.
The proof, as they say, is in the tasting, and we look forward to raising a glass of sunlight water soon.