Three Bodacious Green Innovations

Solar Solution: The Solar Cube is the first desalinator to run on renewable energy:  courtesy Spectra

Smart Water

Making seawater drinkable for the millions without access to freshwater is a noble idea, but a standalone desalinator needs 17 gallons of diesel fuel and 66.5 kilowatts of electricity to make 1,000 gallons of freshwater. The Solar Cube, made by Spectra Watermakers in California, churns out 1,500 gallons of drinking water on just 22 kilowatts of its own solar and wind power. The innovation is a pump that triples efficiency by recapturing hydraulic pressure during the filtering process. Solar Cubes are now bringing freshwater to remote regions of South Africa, Pakistan, Venezuela, Chile and other places short on infrastructure and electricity.