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Solving difficult water challenges for the Five Loaves and Two Fishes Food Bank Image
Case Study

Solving difficult water challenges for the Five Loaves and Two Fishes Food Bank

  • Site Name

    Five Loaves and Two Fishes Food Bank

  • Location

    McDowell County, West Virginia, USA

Map
Challenge

Five Loaves and Two Fishes is a volunteer-run food bank serving residents of McDowell County, West Virginia. In addition to providing food, water, clothes and other necessities to their community, Five Loaves and Two Fishes hosts a number of community events, activities, and exercise classes. Five Loaves and Two Fishes continuously looks for creative and innovative ways to support the community and to provide clean, reliable drinking water to community members who need it most in an area facing significant drinking water challenges.

Many communities in McDowell County have extremely limited access to clean drinking water, with several towns in the area having been under boil-water advisories over five years. Due to the contamination risk of piped water supplies and the high cost of bottled water, many residents routinely travel to fill up heavy jugs with water at nearby roadside streams. The lack of clean, reliable drinking water has resulted in bottled water being one of Five Loaves and Two Fishes’ most commonly requested items.

SOURCE Project

Five Loaves and Two Fishes partnered with Dig Deep, SOURCE and the one2one USA Foundation to bring you high-quality SOURCE Water made by Hydropanels. This technology makes water from sunlight and air alone, producing a new renewable supply of safe drinking water for residents. With SOURCE Hydropanels, Five Loaves and Two Fishes can significantly increase the amount of water provided to the community in their regular distributions.

 

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Hydropanel General Installation Requirements:

  • Roof mounted hydropanels must be at least 3 feet (1 meter) away from the edge of any structure.
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  • Adequate structural integrity of the roof is required. Do not install on a roof that is damaged or otherwise insufficient to hold the weight and wind loads of the hydropanel.
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  • Consider whether there is space for a crane to set up and lift the hydropanels to their mounting location.
  • Ground locations should be firm, level, and evenly composed. The hydropanel can be placed on blocks, concrete, or mounted to lumber to provide a stable base to sit on.
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  • Consider factors like soil composition, and how to manage erosion or plant growth over time.
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  • Avoid installing the hydropanel where they may be wetted from irrigation sprinklers.
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  • Ensure the hydropanel is raised above the specified flood plain.
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  • Hydropanel should be anchored to the ground or sufficiently ballasted to prevent movement or damage from high winds.

Hydropanel General Installation Requirements:

  • Sunny mounting location – The SOURCE Hydropanel works best in full sun. Unobstructed sunlight required at least 5 hours per day. Avoid placing under shading objects such as trees, buildings, etc.
  • 4 x 6 foot (1.2 x 1.8 meters) mounting area per Hydropanel.
  • Minimum clearance of 1ft (30cm) in front of and behind the panels to allow access for service.
  • Minimum 3 inches (8 cm) between hydropanels from side to side within an array.
  • SOURCE Hydropanels must be installed at least 15 feet (5 meters) away from windows and should be positioned considering hydropanel sound with respect to living spaces.
  • SOURCE Hydropanels must be level from side-to-side with a maximum deviation of 20mm.
  • Hydropanel must be South Facing (180°) for locations in the Northern Hemisphere, or North facing (0°) for locations in the Southern Hemisphere.
  • The installation surface must be level. For example, a flat roof, or level ground.

Roof Mount Requirements:

  • Roof mounted hydropanels must be at least 3 feet (1 meter) away from the edge of any structure.
  • Adequate structural integrity of the roof is required. Do not install on a roof that is damaged or otherwise insufficient to hold the weight and wind loads of the hydropanel.
  • Consider whether there is space for a crane to set up and lift the hydropanels to their mounting location.

Ground Mount Requirements:

  • Ground locations should be firm, level, and evenly composed. The hydropanel can be placed on blocks, concrete, or mounted to lumber to provide a stable base to sit on.
  • Consider factors like soil composition, and how to manage erosion or plant growth over time.
  • Avoid installing the hydropanel where they may be wetted from irrigation sprinklers.
  • Ensure the hydropanel is raised above the specified flood plain.
  • Hydropanel should be anchored to the ground or sufficiently ballasted to prevent movement or damage from high winds.

Hydropanel Calculator

The amount of water you consume will determine how many panels you’ll need and the size of tanks we recommend. Use our calculator below for our panel and tank recommendation.

Each panel produces on average 180 bottles per month (16.9 oz bottles). For a more accurate estimation based on your location use this tool.

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