Madagascar. In the shadow of baobab trees, you can hear the calls of lemurs, while an exotic bird is drawing ever smaller circles in the sky. From further back, the waves of the Indian Ocean roar. Nearly 30 million people call the world's fourth-largest island their home. For others, it's a fascinating travel destination.
This was also true for the Dutchman, Sid Vollebregt. In addition to the many beautiful waves for surfing, something else remained in his mind. “During this trip”, he remembers, “we came across a couple of boys who were carrying water after fetching water for themselves and their families using jerrycans... And we saw them walking on the roads and were quite curious what they were doing? So, we stopped and tasted the water that they were collecting. We actually found out that this water was salty. It was brackish groundwater."
It was unfit for consumption, yet it was their only source of water. Sid and his friend Reinoud Feenstra learned that the kids spent three hours every day collecting this water. It's also one of the reasons they're unable to attend school. Additionally, the Dutchmen also discovered that the life expectancy of Madagascans is below 50. “This realization really hit home for us.”
A couple of hours later, the friends found themselves drifting on their surfboards, basking in the abundant sunlight over the vast ocean. Sid concludes his memories: “And that's when we realized that these unlimited resources should be a part of the solution for these kinds of places.”
An idea was borne. After a couple of years, in 2012, Sid Vollebregt and Reinoud Feenstra founded the company, Elemental Water Makers, which turns sea water into clean drinking water using only solar energy. Now, Sid says, “we’re active in 25 countries and there's currently more than 150,000 people who drink our water on a daily basis.”
“We wanted to create a simple and sustainable solution”, Sid emphasizes, "one that not only produces fresh water today but also tomorrow.” This vision propelled Elemental Water Makers to push the boundaries of conventional desalination technology. With their focus on energy efficiency and environmental friendliness, they have developed a method that reduces energy consumption by 70% while minimizing the use of harmful chemicals.
This already compelling concept of desalination is further enhanced by a holistic examination and evaluation of critical location factors, such as the flows and currents around the planned facilities. This ensures that the water returning to the sea does not locally increase salt concentrations, thereby harming local ecosystems. Through this approach, Elemental Water Makers have been able to install their systems in 25 countries, providing communities as well as private and commercial users with a clean and sustainable water source.
This is what sets Sid apart in his unwavering commitment to community empowerment. He doesn’t merely install systems; he invests in protecting local resources. By training individuals in remote areas to operate and maintain these systems, Elemental Water Makers ensures long-term sustainability and resilience within these communities.
For Sid and his team, the success of their technology has always been about the people they serve. “We installed the first system in Madagascar”, he says with a proud smile, “and saw people accessing clean water for the first time in their lives.”
