Imagine living in one of the driest places on Earth, where rain is nearly nonexistent, rivers are few, and traditional water sources are either distant or disappearing. Welcome to Chile’s Atacama Desert. Despite its dryness, this coastal desert is wrapped in fog, offering a hidden solution: water from the air.
At Permalution, we believe the Atacama isn’t a dead zone…it’s a frontier of opportunity.
The Hidden Potential in Fog
Fog harvesting is the process of capturing microscopic water droplets from low-hanging clouds and fog using specially designed mesh nets. As fog passes through, water condenses on the mesh, flows into gutters, and is stored - clean, free, and ready to use. Our systems require no pumps, no external energy, and no harm to the environment - just wind and gravity.
The Atacama already has a history with fog nets. Local efforts have successfully hydrated small communities - and even helped brew artisanal beer! But the region is facing larger-scale challenges: climate change, water privatization, textile waste, and environmental degradation.
How Permalution Can Add Real Value
Unlike traditional players, Permalution brings a next-generation fog harvesting system that combines software, sensors, and physical collectors for maximum water efficiency and long-term resilience.
Here's how we can help Atacama and why we're different:
🔍 Fog Atlas: Our predictive software maps out the best fog collection hotspots in the Atacama, optimizing where to install systems for the highest yield.
📡 Water Radar: We use real-time sensors to measure fog potential and provide a cost-benefit analysis, so each site is designed with precision.
🪜 Fog Collectors: Built for resilience, our fog nets are durable, passive, and can yield 2000L of water per day per 100m², enough for several households or agricultural needs.
🔁 End-to-End Solution: From site analysis to deployment and long-term monitoring, Permalution offers a full-service model tailored to local communities, ESG-minded investors, and public agencies.
Why It Matters Now
The Atacama is not just facing water scarcity, it's facing compounding crises. Textile waste from fast fashion has created environmental dead zones. Meanwhile, local populations - including Indigenous communities - are navigating water insecurity, climate shocks, and ecological loss.
Permalution’s fog harvesting systems can directly support:
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🌱 Ecosystem regeneration, including potential support for bioremediation projects like fungi-based textile breakdown.
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🚰 Decentralized water access for rural or isolated populations.
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🌿 Climate adaptation in one of the world’s most fragile ecosystems.
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🛠️ Sustainable job creation in installation, monitoring, and filtration.
More Than Water: A Scalable Climate Solution
Permalution isn't just about tech. We’re part of a broader movement to transform how the world thinks about water. Our work aligns with SDGs on clean water, climate resilience, ecosystem protection, and innovation. And with successful deployments in Mexico, Peru, and beyond, we’re ready to bring our model to the Atacama - in collaboration with local partners.
We don’t just collect fog.
We help communities catch resilience from the air.