Pitch: How WATERIG and Blockchain Can Create Water, Food, and Energy Locally

It’s a problem that’s always been around for humanity, and it has special relevance now in a world with a changing climate:

How can local communities create sustainable sources for water, energy, and food?

“Our solution is really simple.” —Patrick Suen, CEO of WATERIG

Here’s how a WATERIG (or "WATER-In-Grid") hub works:  

It’s a decentralized water and energy collection point. It can collect energy from the surrounding environment including solar, wind, waste energy and ground cooling. It can use that energy to produce 2,000 liters or more of drinking water per day. And, modules around the hub can be provided with access to that energy and water for vertical farming, greenhouse growth, rainwater processing, water purification, and algae farming.

The WATERIG hubs and modules could be a valuable resource to the local community for providing a truly decentralized and sustainable water and food supply. 

It’s flexible for easy scaling: each community can plug the different modules they need into the hub at their own pace.

Want to help Solve design its next Challenges? Tell us about the most pressing problems facing your community.

But the benefits of the system don’t just redound to the local community. Each WATERIG hub will contribute to two blockchains:

The first blockchain will track the ownership of each hub, enabling community-level crowdfunding and micro-ownership without a central authority. 

The second blockchain will collect data on water, food production, and usage transactions by its members. This has the potential to grow an economy around these WATERIG hubs.

Both blockchains will be publically searchable with no interference or manipulation by companies or governments. This can increase efficiency, create jobs, and ultimately provide food and water to local communities.

WATERIG is currently in the protytping stage as they are building a pilot in Hong Kong with a major vertical farming site and in Dongguan with a manufacturing plant. In 2018, they are looking to launch initial cryptotokens to allow creation of additional pilots around the world, and they plan to use this same system to scale globally as they grow and fundraise.

“We are looking for urban planners, hybrid water system experts, and local community builders to help move our solution forward.” —Patrick Suen

Watch Patrick Suen pitch WATERIG in September at the Solve Challenge Finals in New York City before becoming a Solver in the Sustainable Urban Communities Challenge:

Read the solution application for WATERIG. Interested in partnering with them as they scale for global impact? Solve wants to hear from you. Reach out at solve@mit.edu.   

Patrick Suen pitches Waterig at the Solve Challenge Finals in the Sustainable Urban Communities Challenge, September 17, 2017. (Photo by Samuel Stuart / MIT Solve)

Watch more from this series:
Previous post: Digital Cognition Technologies (DCT)
Next post: Digital Superheroes Academy