These devices harvest drinking water from air even in the planet’s driest places. Critics say they’re an expensive distraction
… As reservoirs shrink, groundwater dries up and rainy seasons become more erratic, some believe one answer to this crisis lies in the reservoirs of moisture in our skies. Atmospheric water harvesting is a tantalizing prospect and a rush of new research is generating excitement, but there are sizeable obstacles: It has historically been energy intensive, it produces small amounts of water and even the new methods are many times more expensive than tap water.