Does the image of cool, cascading waterfalls flowing in a dry desert sound like an unimaginable mirage? Artist and UNESCO-IHE Cultural Ambassador Ap Verheggen says that thanks to recent technological developments, that desert oasis may be closer to reality than we think. A conceptual art project, Desert Cascades explores how solar energy could power an autonomous waterfall in one of earth’s most uninhabitable environments.
Working with the same set of condensation principles used on SunGlacier, an ice-producing solar leaf, Desert Cascades aims to create an actual working waterfall in an arid environment. Powered by solar panels, the self-sufficient cube will collect and turn water vapor into a steady flow of cool water. Described as a conceptual art project, a sun-powered waterfall is well within reach at the rate that solar technology is currently progressing, says Verheggen.
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