DESALINATION WITHOUT ELECTRICITY

DESALINATION WITHOUT ELECTRICITY

Desalination has always been a fascinating concept to me. Imagine turning the vast seas that surround our archipelago into an endless source of drinking water. It sounds like the perfect solution to the chronic lack of fresh water in so many areas of our country. But of course, there has always been a downside—the high cost of electricity needed to power the machines that make desalination work.

And that’s where the irony lies. If fresh water is already expensive, electricity is even more so. Put them together, and desalination quickly becomes too costly to be practical, especially for small coastal communities and island barangays that need it most.

But wait! What if we could produce fresh water without using electricity? Wouldn’t that be the next best thing since sliced bread?

It sounds too good to be true, but that seems to be exactly what a group of engineers from MIT may have invented—a solar-powered desalination system that uses nothing but sunlight and passive thermal cycles. In simple terms, it mimics nature’s water cycle: evaporating seawater, condensing the vapor, and collecting clean, fresh water—without moving parts, without plugging into the grid, and without carbon emissions.

How I wish this could already be commercialized—and how I wish we could bring it to the Philippines as soon as possible. Imagine what it could do for island communities in Palawan, Zamboanga, Bohol, or even water-scarce Metro Manila barangays that rely on costly delivery trucks.

So, what can we do at this stage? For one, our Department of Science and Technology (DOST) and Department of Energy (DOE) should already be paying attention. In fact, why not form a Technical Working Group (TWG) that would include not only DOST and DOE, but also the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) and the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI)? The DFA and DTI could even instruct their foreign posts to reach out directly to MIT and other universities pursuing similar innovations.

Too bad that USAID is now either paralyzed or severely weakened—this would have been the perfect project for them to bring here. But even without them, we could still ask the US Embassy in Manila to facilitate this. Sometimes, all it takes is an official nudge.

And MIT is not the only player in this field. Other universities in Australia, Texas, and Stanford are working on their own versions of electricity-free desalination. NGOs and humanitarian engineering groups in Africa and India are experimenting with low-cost solar stills and bamboo-based systems. Shouldn’t there be a dedicated government agency actively scouting for these breakthroughs abroad? Perhaps the DOE? If not DOE, then maybe DOST? And if not DOST, then one of the Presidential Advisers should take it up.

This idea is too important to miss. Fresh water is not just a convenience—it is life itself. If we can find a way to harness desalination without electricity, we can transform our disaster preparedness, our coastal resilience, and even our economic development.

I am sure the DFA would gladly reach out to any university or group abroad if only DOE or DOST would identify which projects are worth pursuing. But unless somebody in government takes the lead, this will remain just another good idea floating in the news wires while our people continue to line up for water rations.

Think of the possibilities: solar-powered desalination kiosks in coastal barangays, portable units for typhoon relief operations, or even community-built systems integrated into farm schools. Imagine if instead of importing water during disasters, we could deploy machines that create it from the sea itself.

The Philippines is surrounded by salt water. Our challenge has never been the lack of water, but the lack of fresh water. Now, with climate change worsening droughts and typhoons disrupting water systems, this invention could be the game changer we desperately need.

But as I said, it won’t happen on its own. We need leadership, initiative, and urgency. If we truly believe in innovation as a national strategy, then here is the perfect chance to prove it.

So let me say it plainly: desalination without electricity is not science fiction anymore. It is here, and it is real. The only question is—will we act fast enough to bring it here, or will we once again watch another great idea pass us by while our communities continue to thirst?

Ramon Ike V. Seneres, www.facebook.com/ike.seneres
iseneres@yahoo.com, 09088877282, senseneres.blogspot.com

11-09-2025 

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