Of all the water available on Earth, only a small part is fresh water.

在地球上所有可用的水當中，只有一小部分是淡水。

Most of it is inaccessible, captured in icecaps and glaciers or stored underground.

大多數的淡水資源難以取得，封存在冰帽以及冰河當中或者儲存在地底之下。

Easily accessible surface water reaches only 0.3% of the limited fresh water available.

唾手可得的地表水資源只佔了有限淡水資源的 0.3 ％。

Whether a region experiences fresh water scarcity is dependent on its location.

一個地區是否會遇到淡水資源的短缺跟它所在的位置息息相關。

Warm regions with limited fresh water resources are most likely to experience scarcity.

淡水資源有限的溫暖地區是最容易遇到水資源短狀況。

Desalination of seawater or brackish groundwater is a common solution for these regions.

海水淡化或者淨化地下水都是這些地區的常見解決水資源短缺的方法。

Each day 80 million cubic meters of water is desalinated globally.

每天全球共有 8 千萬立方公尺的海水被進行淡化處理。

This is equivalent to 0.7% of the global water supply.

大約等同於全球供水量的 0.7 %。

However, desalination also accounts for 0.5% of the global electricity consumption,

然而，海水淡化使用了約 0.5% 全球電力消耗，

indicating the energy intensity of the process.

可看出這個過程的能耗強度。

The dominant and most energy efficient desalination technology is reverse osmosis,

最主要且能源效率最佳的海水淡化科技是逆滲透，

which produces 60% of all desalinated water.

大約生產了海水淡化中的 60% 水量。

Fossil fuel scarcity

石化能源短缺

and rising energy prices, increase water costs.

以及日漸升高的能源價格，推升了水的價格，

Climate change effects, population growth,

氣候變遷效應、人口暴增、

rising living standards and salinization of aquifers lead to extra demand for desalination.

不斷提高的生活水準以及含水層鹽化導致額外增加對於海水淡化的需求。

With unlimited salt water availability,

鹽水的無止盡供應，

increasing renewable energy opportunities,

讓可再生能源被使用的機率提高，

and growing environmental awareness,

並且提升人們的環境意識。

the next logical step is coupling of renewable energy and desalination.

合理的下一步是將可再生能源供應和海水淡化系統連結且模組化。

However, there is one main barrier.

然而，有一個主要的障礙要克服。

Reverse osmosis is designed for continuous operation, while renewables fluctuate over time.

逆滲透的設計是用在連續不間斷地能源供應下運作的，然而可再生能源的供電穩定度卻是隨時間而異。

We at Elemental Water Makers have developed a solution which enables a constant reverse osmosis process,

我們在 Elemental Water Makers 發展出一個解決方案，可以讓我在使用再生能源的情形下

while using only fluctuating renewable energy.

讓一個逆滲透的過程持續運作。

By operating continuously & energy efficient without the use of batteries

藉由不需使用電池地連續運作以及能源效率的提升

and with limited maintenance, we can assure a low water price.

以及非常有限的維運成本，我們可以確保水價保持在一個較低的價位。

The system uses mature technology and is scalable for different capacities.

這個可以滿足不同發電容量的系統使用成熟且達規模經濟的科技。

It offers an eco-friendly solution by avoiding the use of fossil fuels and is suitable for stand-alone operation.

它藉由避免使用化石燃料且可獨立運作的方式提供了環境友善的解決方案

Elemental Water Makers provides customized renewable energy driven desalination systems for fresh water production.

Elemental Water Makers 提供了客製化再生能源驅動之海水淡化系統來生產淡水。

Now let us explain the system.

現在讓我們說明這個系統的運作方式。

The system uses wind or solar energy connected directly to a pump,

這個系統使用風能或者太陽能連接到一個幫浦，

which displaces salt water when there is renewable energy available.

能夠在有再生能源產出的時候將鹹水抽取出來。

The saline source water is displaced towards an elevated water buffer,

那些被抽取出的鹹水置放在較高的水位，

which will provide the pressure required for the reverse osmosis process.

能夠提供逆滲透過程時所需的水壓。

However, this would require a significant elevation difference in the surroundings.

然而，這個需要周遭的地形有相當大的高度差才有辦法達成。

A salinity increase in the source water requires more elevation.

隨著要被淡化的水源中鹽分的增加，我們會需要更多的高度差。

To overcome this limitation we greatly reduce the amount of elevation difference required,

為了克服這個限制，我們透過 Energy Recovery Device 重複使用鹽水流動時產生的能量

by re-using the energy of the brine flow, using an Energy Recovery Device.

可以大幅減低所需要的高度差距。

By correctly sizing all components, fresh water is produced at a constant rate, 24 hours a day,

藉由正確地規劃所有組成部分的組態，我們將可以利用水位差持續提供的壓力差

using the constant pressure provided by the elevated water buffer.

來一天 24 小時不間斷地生產出淡水。

Because of the salt water buffer, the system runs continuously without any auxiliary power,

由於鹽水緩衝區的提供的水壓差，系統可不需輔助能源連續地運作，

storing the fresh water in a water tank.

將淡水儲存在水槽當中。

Pre-filtration and post treatment are also part of the system and depend on the source water quality.

過濾前和後製的過程都是系統的一部分，並且會因水的來源品質而調整。

Once the water and location parameters are known,

一旦我們知道水源和水源地的參數了之後，

Elemental Water Makers provides an efficient and eco-friendly customized solution.

Elemental Water Makers 將可提供一個有效率且對環境友善的客製化解決方案。

Elemental Water Makers is a spinoff company of the University of Technology Delft in The Netherlands

Elemental Water Makers 是荷蘭 Delft 科技大學轉投資的子公司

and has won several awards with their renewable driven desalination technology.

且它們的再生能源驅動的海水淡化科技贏得了數個獎項。

The technology has been successfully tested in the field during a pilot in Indonesia

這項科技已經成功地在印尼的一場實際運作中被證實可行

and is ready for commercial implementation.

並且已經準備好付諸商業運轉。

If you're looking for an affordable and sustainable fresh water supply, contact us

如果你正尋找一種可以負擔得起且永續的淡水供應方法，與我們聯繫

and join us in solving fresh water scarcity, using only the sea, sun, earth and wind.

並且加入我們的行列一同只用海洋、太陽、土地以及風力來解決水資源短缺的問題。