GivePower took home top honors in Fast Company’s 2021 World Changing Ideas Awards, which recognize the businesses, policies, projects and concepts that are pursuing innovation for the good of society and the planet. GivePower’s Solar Water Farm Mobi technology was selected a finalist in the Best World Changing Idea North America category and the Developing World Technology category, and received an honorable mention in the General Excellence category.
“We are focused on deploying solutions that provide the most sustainable, healthy and affordable water in the world for people who need it the most,” said Hayes Barnard, Founder, Chairman, and CEO of GivePower. “We are honored and deeply grateful to be recognized by Fast Company. These awards represent a growing awareness of the global water crisis and support needed to create innovative solutions that can save lives.”
GivePower, a U.S.-based 501(c)(3) non-profit, has developed containerized, solar-powered water desalination and purification technology that can be rapidly deployed in regions around the world suffering from a shortage of clean water. GivePower produces two models of Solar Water Farm: the Max and the Mobi. Each Max is capable of transforming as much as 70,000 liters of saltwater into clean, healthy water every day, which is enough drinking water for up to 35,000 people per day. GivePower’s Mobi is a smaller, more mobile unit that is faster to deploy and can produce enough clean drinking water for up to 3,000 people per day. The new Mobi+ model, which is designed to purify brackish water, serves up to 7,500 people per day. These Solar Water Farms can operate around the clock, utilizing solar and battery storage technology. With this new, sustainable clean water source, communities see a dramatic drop in waterborne diseases, and are empowered with greater health and economic opportunities.
Currently, GivePower has operational Solar Water Farm Max systems in Kiunga, Kenya; Likoni, Kenya; and La Gonave, Haiti. The foundation has eight additional sites in development, including several Mobi and Mobi+ units, that will be complete by the end of 2021.
“This World Changing Ideas Awards recognition further fuels our determination to provide access to clean water for those in need everywhere,” said Michele Magee, President of GivePower. “Our Solar Water Farm Max’s and Mobi’s serve coastal communities, and our new Mobi+ units will now desalinate brackish water for inland areas. Continual innovation is simply imperative to addressing the world’s biggest problems and we’re excited to be associated with those honored in these awards.”
Now in its fifth year, the World Changing Ideas Awards showcase 33 winners, more than 400 finalists, and more than 800 honorable mentions. A panel of eminent Fast Company editors and reporters selected winners and finalists from a pool of more than 4,000 entries across transportation, education, food, politics, technology, and more. Plus, several new categories were added, including Pandemic Response, Urban Design, and Architecture. The 2021 awards feature entries from across the globe, from Brazil to Denmark to Vietnam.
“There is no question our society and planet are facing deeply troubling times,” said Stephanie Mehta, editor-in-chief of Fast Company. “So, it’s important to recognize organizations that are using their ingenuity, impact, design, scalability, and passion to solve these problems.”
