Purpose:
To provide a sustainable source of desalinated water from ocean surface water by having floating platforms filter, distil and collect the water, using solar energy.

Benefits:
Current desalination techniques require large amounts of energy to run the plants. Furthermore the waste salt creates an environmental problem via sterilisation of the land it is dumped on. My concept hopes to retain the salt within the ocean, without concentrating it in the water, by using a slow but steady method.

The platform can be used along the coastline near settlements, especially for impoverished villages, and to assist areas hit by natural disasters which have had their infrastructure destroyed.

Market Potential:
A large scale production and installation of the platforms could provide all the water needed by major cities close to the oceans.

Design:
The platform is hexagonal shaped with each side 10m long. The base is weighted with a porous filter material that allows sea water to rise up to the surface while the filter prevents solids and pollutants through. The surface of the platform is painted black and covered with a transparent glass or plastic dome to create a hothouse effect thereby evaporating the water. The centre of the platform has two cylindrical pipes installed perpendicularly to the platform, one inside the other. The inner tube contains cold ocean water to act as a condenser; the outer tube as a catcher to allow the condensation to drip down into a holding tank below the surface of the water. These tanks could be linked up so that the water could be pumped to the land, or reclaimed later. Each platform would be modular allowing them to link to one another and cover a larger surface area.

Manufacturing:
I would approach my local department of public enterprises to assist in creating a manufacturing plant, that would use local labour to help increase employment in the community.