After a winter that seemed like a spring and an early summer with increasingly higher temperatures, drought is becoming an increasingly bigger problem that worries southern Italy above all, but also several other parts of the world.
This is why the Italian company Genius Watter has worked hard to develop a system that supplies drinking water in areas without connection to the electricity grid, already active in Cape Verde and Somalia, which can also be put into practice in Southern Italy where high temperatures are putting the agricultural sector to the test.
Who is Genius Watter?
Franco Traverso, together with his son Dario, are the founders of Genius Watter, a Padua-based company active since 2018, which has developed and patented a system for reverse osmosis desalination using solar energy, capable of provide drinking water in areas without connection to the electricity grid, starting from brackish groundwater or sea water. A solution that has various applications, all already implemented in Africa.
Traverso is a long-time entrepreneur in the solar sector, first with Helios Technology founded in 1981 to build solar cells and panels, then with Silfab since 2007, moved to North America in 2010, where today it has 1.200 employees and produces modules and panels for the US and Canadian markets.
Now Dario and Franco are also collaborating with the UN on a new project in Somalia, but the goal is much bigger: to raise 10 million in investments for the development of 18 plants in Zanzibar and Cape Verde.
The company where the pre-packaging takes place is located in Carmignano di Brenta, in the province of Padua.
By the summer Genius Watter will double the space and the 25 current employees will reach 35 by the end of the year, including new purchases in the branches in Somalia, Cape Verde and Zanzibar which contribute to the doubled turnover of 2,5 million euros compared to 2022.
How did the idea of the patented system come about?
The idea for this patent came to Franco Traverso after a trip to Cape Verde, where the problem of drought is increasingly dramatic, as water is scarce, the underground aquifers are brackish and there is a lack of rainfall.
It is for this reason that Traverso thought of a technology, already patented, for solar desalination.
How does this technology work?
The sun produces electricity thanks to photovoltaic panels, which power the pumps to suck water from the ground or from the sea, which is filtered, retaining salt and impurities and making it drinkable. It all works with the help of a photovoltaic system to power the machines.
Considering that today almost 2 billion people are short of drinking water between now and 2050 the situation is destined to worsen, because the demand for water will increase by 55 percent and the quantity available will decrease.
Desalination of water with sunlight is finally possible thanks to Genius Watter, an Italian excellence that could save our country and the entire world from drought.
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