PASSIVE RADIATIVE CONDENSERS TO EXTRACT WATER FROM AIR

Radiative cooling allows atmospheric vapor to be condensed on a surface without an energy source. Data on atmospheric dew water condensers are presented, with emphasis on their application to islands and deserts where drinking water can be scarce. The chemical and bacteriological quality of water is also reported upon. The areas presently under investigation are situated in a variety of regions: continental (Grenoble - in an alpine valley; Brivela-Gaillarde, Central Massif), coastal (Bordeaux - on the French Atlantic coast, and Zadar and Dubrovnik - on the eastern Adriatic coast), desert (Nizzana, NW Negev), the Mediterranean islands (Ajaccio on Corsica and Komiža on Vis in the Adriatic sea) and the Pacific Ocean (Tahiti, French Polynesia). In Ajaccio, two large 30 m2 condensers have been operating since 2000