Watergen
Watergen Inc. (formerly Water-Gen) is an Israel-based global company that develops water-from-air solutions.
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Founded | 2009 |
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Headquarters | , |
Key people | Michael Mirilashvili (President) Maxim Pasik (Executive Chairman) Michael Mirilashvili (CEO) |
Website | watergen |
History
Founded in 2009 by Israeli entrepreneur and former combat commander Arye Kohavi and a team of engineers, Watergen was originally a startup conceived to provide easily accessible water to militaries worldwide.[1]
Following the company's acquisition in 2016 by businessman Michael Mirilashvili, Watergen shifted its focus tackling water scarcity and answering the needs of civilians following natural disasters.[2][3]
Watergen has since developed a line of products, suitable for different needs, from remote rural areas to commercial office buildings[4] and private homes. It has been used around the world by armies[3] as well as the public and private sectors in the United States,[5] Latin America,[6][7][8] India,[9][10] Vietnam,[11] Uzbekistan[12][13] and the African continent.[14][15]
The company's main office is located in Petah Tikva, Israel. It has an affiliate company in the United States, "Watergen USA".[16]
Technology
Water gen's patented GENius technology is an energy-efficient atmospheric water generator (AWG), which generates water from air at 250Wh per liter. During the process, the air is drawn into the Watergen atmospheric water generator, where an air filter removes dust and dirt. Then, clean air is directed through Watergen's technology and undergoes a heat exchange and cooling process. At this temperature point, condensation occurs, and water is created.[17] The water is then channeled through a multi-stage filtering system to remove impurities, add minerals, and maintain its health properties (when the water reaches its ideal quality, it is either stored in a built-in or external reservoir where it is kept fresh through continuous circulation or connected to the water grid of buildings, neighborhoods, and cities, delivering water directly to residents’ taps).[18] According to the company, GENius produces up to five times more water per kilowatt than any other technology on the market, using just 250Wh per liter.[17] It claims that the process is environmentally friendly, a renewable solution that reduces plastic waste and carbon footprint, and typically produces 4 liters of water for every kilowatt-hour of energy at the cost of 2-4 cents per liter.
Products
- Large Scale AWG – Watergen's Large Scale unit is an Industrial Scale Atmospheric Water Generator (AWG), designed for towns, villages, factories, off-grid settlements, and communities. Daily production is up to 4800 liters.
- GEN-350 AWG – GEN-350 atmospheric water generator is a medium scale, mobile water generator aimed for fast deployment at all weather conditions. It is able to produce up to 900 liters of water a day, depending on the humidity and temperature. It is an ideal solution for schools, hospitals, commercial and residential buildings.[19][20]
- Emergency Response Vehicle – Watergen's Emergency response vehicle (ERV) is a customized heavy-duty truck that securely transports Watergen's units to provide clean drinking water-from-air in emergencies and natural disasters. It consists of GEN-350 and is powered by a diesel generator that ensures the system is mobile and operated in any location.
- GENNY Home Appliances – GENNY is a water-from-air, energy-efficient generator, for home and office and can generate up to 27 liters of fresh drinking water per day.[21]
- Automotive AWG – Integrated water generation technology in private and public transportation, providing the driver and passengers with clean drinking water from the front seat and reducing the need to use bottled water.
Awards and recognition
Since its inception, Watergen has received praise for its work, including from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu who hailed its technology for bringing water "to millions of people in Africa".[22] Fox News host Liz Claman called it "one of the most magical innovations of the 21st century".[23] In a 2018 competition conducted by Israel's Ministry of Economy and Ynet News, in celebration of the country's 70th year of independence, Watergen was selected as one of Israel's top 9 most influential inventions based on votes of over 50,000 participants.[24] Over the years, the company has received the following awards:
- 2020: Consumer Technology Association's Energy Efficiency Product of the Year; during the 2020 Smart Home Mark of Excellence Awards at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, Nevada.[25]
- 2019: Best of Innovation Award and Honoree recipient for Genny home/office water generator, by CES.[26]
- 2018: World Economic Forum Technology Pioneer[27]
- 2014: One of the 50 Most Innovative Companies, by Fast Company [28]
- 2014: Won The European Technology Innovation Leadership Award, Frost & Sullivan
- Selected as one of Israel's most influential inventions by the Ministry of Economy and Industry
Specs
12 kVa Diesel generator uses between 1.2-3 liters of diesel per hour, average 2 L/hr at 5.6 kW needed to operate Watergen GEN-M. 5600 W at 350 Wh per liter produces up to 16 liters of water per hour.
References
- "Israeli Company That Extracts Water From Air Launches Home Device For Cool Water On Tap". NoCamels - Israeli Innovation News. January 28, 2019. Retrieved August 13, 2019.
- Goldberg, Ann (April 12, 2019). "In The Land Of Milk And Honey – Two Great Places To Visit". JewishPress.com. Retrieved August 13, 2019.
- "Liquid asset: The Israeli startup that turns air into water". haaretz.com. January 2, 2015. Retrieved August 13, 2019.
- "Device from Israel-based company makes water out of thin air". Inquirer Technology. September 24, 2016. Retrieved August 13, 2019.
- Florida, NBC 6 South (June 19, 2017). "Miami Gardens Partners With Start-Up Turning Air to Water". NBC 6 South Florida. Retrieved August 13, 2019.
- JNS (February 11, 2019). "Israeli Technology Aids Brazil's Water Crisis". Breaking Israel News | Latest News. Biblical Perspective. Retrieved August 13, 2019.
- "Israeli Technology by Watergen Selected to Fight Severe Drought in South Africa". Breaking Israel News | Latest News. Biblical Perspective. June 24, 2019. Retrieved August 13, 2019.
- "Tel Aviv, centro de innovación donde logran convertir el aire en agua". El Universo (in Spanish). May 26, 2019. Retrieved August 6, 2019.
- Udasin, Sharon (July 5, 2017). "Israeli technology to help solve India's water shortage". The Jerusalem Post | JPost.com. Retrieved August 13, 2019.
- "Israel's Water-Gen to foray into India this year". The Economic Times. January 6, 2015. Retrieved August 13, 2019.
- "Israel introduces new farming and water techs to Hà Nội". vietnamnews.vn. October 29, 2018. Retrieved August 14, 2019.
- "Israeli company installs generator of water from air in Uzbek Bukhara". Trend.Az. May 15, 2019. Retrieved August 13, 2019.
- "Israel-Based Watergen Provides Uzbekistan Orphans with Water from Air - The Tower". The Tower. May 22, 2019. Retrieved August 13, 2019.
- Biedermann, Ferry (June 6, 2017). "Israel's high-tech diplomacy in Africa". CNBC. Retrieved August 13, 2019.
- Bhardwaj, Deepika (September 16, 2017). "This Water ATM in Delhi Will Make Drinking Water From Thin Air! Check It Out". The Better India. Retrieved August 13, 2019.
- "Esther Fink: What Happened to Our Water?". Newsmax. September 18, 2018. Retrieved August 13, 2019.
- "GENius™ heat-exchange technology". Watergen.com.
- Fuld, Hillel (May 2, 2019). "Hillel's Tech Corner: Making water out of air". The Jerusalem Post | JPost.com. Retrieved August 13, 2019.
- Pillay, Deneesha (June 16, 2019). "Water on wheels for 79 Nelson Mandela Bay schools". HeraldLIVE. Retrieved August 13, 2019.
- Blackburn, Nicky; Leichman, Abigail Klein (December 26, 2018). "35 ways Israel inspired the world in 2018". Israel21c. Retrieved August 6, 2019.
- Graham, Jefferson (January 7, 2019). "CES 2019: Samsung transparent TV wins 'Innovation' award". usatoday. Retrieved August 13, 2019.
- Patten, David A. (March 25, 2018). "Israeli Technology Able to Make Water From Thin Air". Newsmax. Retrieved August 13, 2019.
- "Watergen to open at least 3 more US plants, president says,". Fox Business - YouTube. November 9, 2018.
- Rosen, Jonathan Weber (April 15, 2018). "70 years of Israeli ingenuity: What's Israel's top invention?". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved August 7, 2019.
- Israeli tech company making water from air gets top honor in Las Vegas.
- Burton, Charlie (January 8, 2019). "British GQ". British GQ. Retrieved August 13, 2019.
- "Israeli firms named World Economic Forum tech pioneers". Israel21c. June 25, 2018. Retrieved August 13, 2019.
- "The World's 50 Most Innovative Companies of 2014". Fast Company. January 1, 2000. Retrieved August 13, 2019.
External links
- Official Website
- Official YouTube channel
- Rosen, Jonathan Weber. "70 years of Israeli ingenuity: What's Israel's top invention?". The Jerusalem Post.
- "Watergen tech produces clean drinking water in your car". New Atlas. January 9, 2019.