Solar Desalination Skylight
Utilising solar energy and seawater to provide water, light and energy to Chile's coastal settlement
A holistic approach to providing Chile’s coastal informal settlements with water, light and energy. The prototype utilizes Chile’s abundance of solar energy and seawater to create a solar desalination skylight, which emits natural diffused light, produces drinking water, and utilises leftover salt brine for energy creation. Chile is currently facing the worst water shortage in 60 years. Those most heavily affected, are people living within the Informal Settlements. The main NGO dedicated to working with informal settlement dwellers in the country, TECHO-Chile, reports that 75.8% of households do not have access to safe drinking water or safe electrical connections. In the city of Antofagasta, there are around 15,000 families living in these conditions, with numbers increasing by 544% within the last 5 years. Current government systems cannot cope with fulfilling the needs of informal settlement habitants.