Co-inventor Jon Bessette sits atop a trailer housing the electrodialysis desalination system – credit Shane Pratt, via MIT Press
Today’s good news story comes from the Good News Network.
Hyper Efficient Solar-Powered Desalination System Requires No Extra Batteries to Purify Groundwater
Envisioned as a way to provide water to communities whose groundwater is too brackish to drink, the device’s real trick is adjusting its desalination activity in response to the amount of solar power it produces.
Multiple times every second, the central control module takes readings of the strength of the sunlight and pumps correspondingly more or less water through the electrodialysis membrane stack. This innovation allows the whole package to skip the necessity for battery storage for times when the panels are producing more energy than the system is using.
No batteries means much lower costs and shipping weight, making it ideal for rural communities in arid parts of the Global South or southern United States with ample yearly sunshine and brackish groundwater.
Electrodialysis is one of two methods for desalinating water, with the other being reverse osmosis. Both have drawbacks at both the micro and macro scale, and in the case of electrodialysis, it requires electricity, which is typically produced by fossil fuels. Renewables have replaced them before, but challenges persist.
“The majority of the population actually lives far enough from the coast that seawater desalination could never reach them. They consequently rely heavily on groundwater, especially in remote, low-income regions,” says Jonathan Bessette, MIT PhD student in mechanical engineering and co-author on the project.
“[U]nfortunately, this groundwater is becoming more and more saline due to climate change. This technology could bring sustainable, affordable clean water to under-reached places around the world.”
For Bessette and the team behind the invention, their biggest challenge was establishing feedback mechanisms in the system that were sharp enough to detect minute changes in sunlight, for example, if a whisp of cloud passes by.
Over months of testing and improvements, their “flow command-current control” module gradually reached the point at which 94% of the solar power generated by the panels was utilized immediately to pump water through the desalination system without any lag and any transfer of power to a battery.
During a 6-month field trial at the Brackish Groundwater National Desalination Research Facility in Alamogordo, New Mexico, the system produced 5,000 liters of water per day despite large swings in weather and available sunlight.
“Conventional desalination technologies require steady power and need battery storage to smooth out a variable power source like solar,” explains Amos Winter, a decorated professor of mechanical engineering at MIT. “Being able to make drinking water with renewables, without requiring battery storage, is a massive grand challenge. And we’ve done it.”
Amos and Bessette are now looking to form a company to develop the technology into a product to help water-stressed communities worldwide.
The good news about this story is that fresh water can be made without using fossil fuels. Today’s JohnKu talks about chipping away at innovation. I hope you have a wonderful weekend.
Perseverance by John W. Howell © 2025
Big problems exist,
Continued working on them . . .
produces results.
Fiction Favorites 
Interesting. My only question would be about nighttime. I don’t know enough about solar energy to know if that’s an issue, which requires a backup battery.
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Yes, that was the point about this discovery. When the power is not being generated, the process pauses. Like nighttime.
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That’s what I thought, but it seems weird to not have desalination at night.
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If the needs are met in the daylight, there may be no need.
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I’m hearing more and more about water issues in Corpus Christi and the surrounding area. This could be as useful for places like the King Ranch as for more urban areas, especially if it can be scaled up.
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The Ranch would be a perfect place for this kind of technology.
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Interesting , big issues out there for sure. Innovation is the key.
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That is for sure, Holly. 😊
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Just leave it to MIT, eh? Fantastic!
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Yup. Give them the problem and then stand back.
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How wonderful that there are people out there always searching for solutions. Those of us who have easy access to water don’t realise to what extent others don’t. Excellent share, John.
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Especially in the coastal areas where deep wells are impossible.
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Things I take for granted
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Me too.
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Really interesting, if a bit technical. Accomplishments like this often lead to even bigger things in version 2.0.
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Glad there are people out there with the smarts to come up with solutions like this.
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Me too. This is another one that I hope they can scale up.
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It’s not surprising that MIT would come up with such a technological solution.
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I agree. Lots of brains there.
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Good news indeed! Thanks for sharing this, John. Potable water is a necessity for all of us.
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Sadly, some have a tough time getting it.
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It always amazes me when I read stories like this. It’s so good to know there’s hope and people are coming up with such wonderful ideas. Thank you for the good news, John.
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I love these stories as well, Esther. 😊
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Water will become the gold and oil of the future, I believe. I am encouraged by the discovery of huge pockets of water here and there below the surface but this invention is for the now, especially for those in drought-stricken areas. I’ve tasted desalinated water – it’s not great but certainly better than no water!
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Yes, better than no water is so true. Also, it can be used for washing and bathing.
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It’s really bad when you use it for coffee! Bleah!
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Bottled water.
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Hi John, a great post. I didn’t know climate change was causing fresh water to become more salivated although it makes sense if sea levels are rising.
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The coastal areas are going to be challenged in the near future.
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Yes 🌝
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It’s just astonishing what can be done nowadays, isn’t it? In spite of everything, we still have some brilliant minds in this country. I’ve said it a thousand times; it’s an exciting time to be alive!
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I agree with you, Jim. It is an exciting time.
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This is so creative and something I think we need. I hope he gets some company to take it on and build them.
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Me too, Deborah.
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Good luck to these guys! In our area desalination is being discussed and planned bot there are down sides to it. TGIF to you, John.
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Maybe the CC city fathers ought to see this stuff.
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Great news! I’m sure the inventors will be successful in making it scalable at some point.
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I certainly hope so. 😊
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Sounds like a great idea, John.
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This is what I am talking about! ❤
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Yes, indeed.
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A great innovation that is needed more than ever. Thank you for the good news.
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And it will be needed in the future.
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This is Awesome with a capital “A.” You had me at solar powered!
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Me too, Monika. 😊
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That is incredible! Best wishes on their company development and success. Certainly needed. Thanks for the share and a wonderful weekend to you, John.
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Thank you so much, Michele. Wishing you the same. Sent from my iPhone
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😊🙏🏻🙏🏻
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😊
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Wonderful news! Ingenuity and determination can transform our lives. Thank you for this Good News! 👏🏻
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I thought it was good news and hope it will be able to scale soon. Thanks, Gwen.
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Good news, indeed! Thank goodness for these innovators!
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I agree. I just hope they hurry up with the bigger stuff.
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Love this!
This is really fabulous good news. Thank you John & JohnKu!
💧💦 💧💦 💧💦 💧💦
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I enjoyed the news too. 💧X 💧X 💧X 💧X
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🏆 The world wins! 🏆
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😀X
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That is wonderful news about the purification of water. I feel so many new initiatives and great ideas will begin to help solve many issues we face currently around our planet.. I am reading lots of great ideas are in the works for helping our planet and ourselves, clean up our acts..
Thank you for sharing John xx
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So many areas need it, and one of the drawbacks has been the use of power to run the plant. Solving that is a big step forward. Thanks, Sue.
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Agreed… Now if only we could solve how to create Energy more efficiently and cheaply…. Our Energy bills here in the UK are I am told 5 times higher than in the USA…. It is crippling business’s and home users ..
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It is a problem when natural resources are scarce. Wind farms and drilling in the North Sea are not popular with the people. Coal drives folks crazy, too.
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Wonderful!
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I agree.
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😀
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