May 5, 2022

Lily Rand Freilich

9th Grade

Ramaz Upper School

Though only 74 years old, Israel has made a name for itself as being one of the leading countries in agriculture, technology, and entrepreneurship. Some of their revolutionary innovations include Waze, Mobileye, and Netafim. These help people everywhere, whether by providing the most efficient route to a specific location, alerting a driver of structures near them, or modernizing irrigation through an unapparent, yet simple strategy. 

One of their numerous, life-changing, creations is from Watergen. Founded in 2009, by Arye Kohavi, Watergen creates water generators that are capable of producing drinkable, clean, water using the atmosphere as the only ingredient. As explained on the Watergen website, these generators first collect air from outside and then filter out all the dirt and dust using a special filter that passes on clean air. Then, with a heating mechanism, the air is condensed into water, and it remains until it is filtered once again. The air is then purified and ready for drinking. These generators can be used to supply water for a home, an office, or even an entire town. Watergen’s technology is both energy-efficient and cost-efficient: one liter of the water produced by this generator is priced between seven to fifteen cents. 

Watergen also expands into WaterGen Mobility – which also produces fresh water from the air – though is aimed at transportation and vehicles. The system can supply up to 50 liters a day of instant water for cars, buses, trains, motorhomes, military vehicles, and more, while still being environmentally conscious and friendly.

Watergen’s goal is to provide people everywhere – whether in a remote, rural, isolated area, or a city – with safe, clean, and fresh water. In addition to providing clean water in places where it is lacking, Watergen has been a critical helper in areas that have been hit by natural disasters. The devices used in those situations are solar-powered and are capable of providing water day after day. A report from the business website Aim2Flourish outlining Watergen’s mission says that, according to Edward Russo (former CEO of Watergen’s United States wing), “...the company has already been in China, Vietnam, Malaysia, India, and South Africa to implement their technology and provide water in areas where it was either unavailable or unhealthy…” 

The widely acclaimed company is credited for inventing, publicizing, and globally implementing its innovative system. Many of the impacts the company has made include its efforts to save the environment, turning unsuitable areas of living into more suitable ones, decreasing pollution, and of course, saving countless lives. One of the seventeen goals that the United Nations is working to accomplish by 2030 is to “Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all,” and Watergen has been accomplishing this since 2009! Though it is not the company’s primary goal, Watergen’s business has prospered. They have gained extreme success, and have opened numerous additional manufacturing plants. The company has also been recognized for its remarkable technological devices. For example, they received a “Best of Innovation Honoree” award in 2019, and “The Sustainability, Eco-Design & Smart Energy” award in 2020, both from CES, which their parent organization describes as “the most influential tech event in the world.” Watergen is truly an inspiring, life-saving, and life-changing company that exemplifies how advances in our world's modern technology can truly be used to cause positive change in the world.