Eco-Friendly Services for a Sustainable World

Sub-Saharan Africa, significant portions of Central and Western America, Australia, and certain areas of  Europe have now reached a stage where all available surface water has been allocated for use. Improving water demand management is essential, yet research into better preserving sparse water  resources remains paramount. 

Globally, evaporation rates are steadily increasing, and until recently, there has been no sustainable, mass produced, durable, and readily available product on the market to prevent large-scale evaporation from  open water surfaces.  

  Producing a modular product capable of withstanding gale-force winds, strong wave action, constant  movement, and extreme exposure to high temperatures and direct sunlight. To meet this challenge, a pilot  test was conducted with water evaporation panels on a freshwater storage dam in South Africa. After  completing a two-year cycle, the panels have shown no signs of wear and tear, with an expected lifespan  exceeding sixty years. 

These evaporation prevention panels are designed for easy retrieval for maintenance, cleaning or refitting  with solar voltaic applications, ensuring long-term effectiveness. 

Globally a mixture of climate change-related impacts, changes in rainfall patterns, decreased run- off and a  lack of suitable space to build new dams collectively and a large-scale invasive alien plant encroachment in  catchments and along water courses contribute towards water scarcity off fresh water. 

The recent water crises in Cape Town and Nelson Mandela Bay highlight the growing competition for water  resources among industry, agriculture, and urban populations. 

Despite its significant impact, water evaporation has been overlooked as a preventable source of water  loss worldwide. This is partly due to the vastness of water storage dams, making traditional covering  methods impractical, and the lack of suitable products for large-scale deployment in harsh outdoor  conditions.

 After years of research and development, a domestically produced South African solution has emerged and  is presently undergoing rigorous durability testing. It holds promising potential in global initiatives to  combat large-scale water evaporation. 

A joint venture between environmental stewardship organization, The Southern Cape Landowners  Initiative (SCLI), and recycling, manufacturing, and production firm, X Tyre, has resulted in the production  of robust modular floating panels. Crafted from recycled rubber, these panels are designed for deployment  on open water surfaces to mitigate and deter evaporation. 

After years of research and development, a domestically produced South African solution has emerged and  is presently undergoing rigorous durability testing. It holds promising potential in global initiatives to  combat large-scale water evaporation.

 Negative repercussions arise when surface water from sewage and sludge water storage facilities  evaporates. However, by covering these surfaces and preventing evaporation, adverse effects such as  unpleasant Odors can be significantly mitigated.  

 Rubber tires, known for their durability, are highly resistant to environmental and physical degradation.  Products crafted from recycled rubber offer a sustainable alternative to virgin plastic and wood, fostering a  circular economy. Moulded under high pressure and heat, rubber panels are coated or moulded in various  colours or sealed with an antimicrobial coating. The composition is engineered to ensure that the panels  remain submerged, providing stability in windy conditions. 

Additionally, their high k-values and R-values contribute to lower water temperatures, thereby reducing  algae growth.

The installation of solar photovoltaic systems on water bodies, through floating voltaic panels, is swiftly  emerging as a viable option. 

Evapsol offers an optimal solution as a versatile product, serving as a floating platform for photovoltaic  configurations capable of generating 100 watts per unit. 

Ongoing research and development in 3D printed or thin-film solar panels adds further excitement to this  industry. 

Commonly, reservoirs, freshwater lakes and ponds, sewage works, irrigation canals, quarries, and tailing  dams are relevant locations for such installations.  

When combined with the Evapsol platform, these systems serve a dual purpose: generating power and  reducing evaporation. While the generated power can significantly offset costs, the true savings lie in the  prevention of freshwater loss due to evaporation.

 Globally, urbanization and population growth is increasingly placing demand on available fresh water resources, but at the same time many reservoir facilities are failing to fill up to capacity, indicating that there is a general decline in run- off due to a number of factors, including rising temperatures, climate change and changes of rain- fall patterns.

As a result of constant decrease of run- off in catchments globally, future water supply and demand cannot be met by simply constructing additional surface water storage facilities, and those tasked with ensuring water security will have to find novel ways of managing critical water resources to meet the growing present and future demand for it.

Evaporation rates globally are on the increase as summer temperatures in the northern hemisphere reached record heights over vast areas in 2023 coupled with the El Nino climate cycle taking effect with associated dry and hot conditions moving south as summer approaches the southern hemisphere.

Water resource managers globally are underestimating the severity of evaporation on available resources, and the merit in covering surface water in reservoirs in an effort to prevent storage facilities not only from running dry, but also to protect critical inflow when evaporation rates increase as water levels in reservoirs decreases and water temperatures rise and surface temperatures rise with hotter windy conditions exponentially boost evaporation rates.

Evaporation is a natural process effecting the entire water cycle, but once water is dammed- up in a reservoir its exposure to factors enhancing evaporation rates, such as direct sunlight resulting in increased temperature of the water column and hot surface air, constant wind and wave action increases the evaporation rate dramatically, which accumulatively account for substantial water loss.

Covering the surfaces of reservoirs is not a new concept, but although there are products available for of suppressing evaporation from surface water, examples of large- scale implementation are scarce.
Stabilizing water levels by significantly reducing evaporation rates allow for better resource preservation and downstream management opportunities. 

 Climate change resulting in intense heat waves, dramatic changes in rainfall patterns and increased demand forces water users globally to consider implementing soft intervention measures to significantly reduce evaporation rates from storage dams.
Evaporation rates vary dramatically depending on a great number of equations, but generally it is increasingly becoming an issue for resource and environmental managers given the importance and availability of fresh water in storage dams and reservoirs.
As a rule, evaporation rates increase as water levels drop in a water body as a result of increased water temperature, which in turn impacts on inflow values as storage dams fail to fill up given the relentless rate of evaporation.