Quantitative goals for large-scale fog collection projects as a sustainable freshwater resource in northern Chile

Abstract

The objective of this study was to determine the quantitative goals for a large-scale fog collection project if it were to be an economically competitive source of freshwater in northern Chile. When the initial costs are factored in, the cost of water from such a project would exceed the market price of the alternatives. However, given current costs, the project could be profitable given an average collection rate of about 10 litres per day per square metre. Investment in site selection and system improvements to reduce costs and improve collection rates are essential for making large-scale fog collection an economically competitive source of freshwater.

Keywords:

• fog collection
• freshwater
• economics
• sustainability

Acknowledgements

The authors express their sincere gratitude to Dr. Robert S. Schemenauer of FogQuest and Dr. Pilar Cereceda of the Centro del Desierto de Atacama of the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile for their input into this analysis and to the editorial staff and reviewers for very detailed and considerate comments.