Indicative yields & feasibility

Numbers, with context

Early modelling offers a sense of scale. The values below are indicative, site-dependent and subject to pilot validation, not guaranteed, independently verified or commercially proven.

Indicative yields · Concept stage

A preliminary sense of scale

Based on moderate coastal rainfall of 800-1,000 mm per year, a 1,000-module ORH array is expected to produce:

Daily yield49-74m³ / day

Naturally fresh water

Annual yield18,000-27,000m³ / year

Concept-stage estimate

Cooling demand context3-7%of daily demand

A mid-sized coastal data centre may require 1,000-2,000 m³ per day of cooling water. ORH would therefore supply approximately 3-7%, a meaningful reduction in municipal or groundwater abstraction and a contribution to operational resilience.

ORH’s indicative yields have different meanings for different contexts. For industry, they represent a modest but operationally valuable reduction in freshwater abstraction during periods of stress. For humanitarian settings, the same yields translate into essential water access for several thousand people per day under WHO emergency allowances. These two perspectives illustrate how ORH can support both early-adopter industries and, in time, resilience for coastal communities.

Based on WHO emergency water allowances (15-20 L/person/day), a 1,000-module ORH array producing 49-74 m³/day would provide:

Indicative people supported per day under WHO emergency water allowances
WHO Essential Allowance	People Supported per Day
15 L/person/day (minimum emergency allowance)	3,200-4,900 people/day
20 L/person/day (standard emergency allowance)	2,450-3,700 people/day

Economic feasibility · Concept stage

From pilot to potential scale

Pilot scale

10-20 modules

Collection area: ≈250-500 m²
Deployment: 12-24 months
Expected cost: £250,000-£500,000

Sufficient to validate capture efficiency, confirm material durability and refine seasonal performance.

Commercial scale

Around 100 modules

Collection area: ≈2,500 m²
Delivered water: £1.50-£3.00 / m³

This range may be acceptable for coastal industrial users seeking resilient, low-energy alternatives during supply restrictions or periods of elevated abstraction charges.

These early figures indicate that ORH may be economically plausible and can be explored using established offshore methods.