Both of your Coral writers are products of the tech sector who’ve spent our careers working in bits, and we also feel like dinosaurs in our jobs. AI is slowly, and soon quickly replacing knowledge workers and our LinkedIn feeds tell the same story with a flurry of layoff announcements and career transitions posts. We’ve been spending a lot of time thinking about the ebbs and flows of markets, the future of tech, and the opportunities that will result as society is forced to adapt.
One theme that we can’t seem to get away from is old made new again. This applies not only at a product level, think new building materials (concrete, steel, wood), but also to how people function and meet their basic needs. We believe there is going to be a shift to families and small communities needing to be self-sustaining and independent from the usual supply chains we’ve grown to depend on.
A little history…
The early- to mid-1900s were the golden age of utility expansion. It was a time when cities expanded, suburbs spread, and we collectively said “pipes and wires… this would all be easier if we had lots and lots of pipes and wires”. Municipal waterworks, rural electrification, and the Great {Natural} Gas Boom all transformed residential life.
Centralized utilities promised, and largely delivered, reliable and affordable electricity, water, and gas services. Through interconnection, utility companies leveraged economics of scale, accelerated innovation, and provided broader access to resources that were once considered luxuries. These resources became the backbone of modern life and we built our lives on the premise that this magic would never run out… or freeze, or rust, or catch fire… you get the point. We all bought into the belief that the lights would always stay on, clean water would flow from the tap, and we could control temperature with the press of a button.
Then came climate change. It feels like every time we open the news we hear about a once-in-a-decade or century event, but they’re happening every other week. Blackouts caused by wildfires, gas shortages due to supply chain disruptions, floods damaging water and sewer systems. Extreme weather events, aging infrastructure, and geopolitical instability revealed the vulnerabilities of centralized systems. The magic we all built our lives around now appears less reliable, less adaptable, less invincible.
Prepper or Prudent?
The stigma around “self-sufficiency” is changing. It is no longer just a term for off-grid weirdos and doomsday preppers. A new paradigm is emerging where regular folks, including your writers, are trying to take matters into their own hands. Solar panels paired with home battery systems provide localized electricity generation and storage, rainwater harvest systems and greywater recycling can help support water independence, and heat pumps reduce the energy demand needed to provide heating and cooling.
However, none of this is cheap or easy. The majority households are not in a position to drop $5,000 (or more) on a Jackery Home Solar-Battery combo solution. For the few green incentives that haven’t yet been cut, navigating the rebates and utility incentives process can feel like applying for citizenship in Antarctica. And many cities are still operating from regulatory playbooks from 30-plus years ago, so even if you can generate your own electricity it may be met with a bureaucratic fine.
While the 20th century was defined by “plugging in”, we believe the 21st will be characterized by “backing up” and designing homes to function with or without the grid. But we need commercially viable solutions that are easy to adopt, low maintenance, and won’t break the bank.
Startup: SolarSip
MIT researchers have developed a solar-powered desalination system, and we’d love to see this spinout into a commercial product to provide clean drinking water in off-grid and resource-limited settings. The team developed a layered system of dark materials to absorb the sun’s heat, a thin layer of water above a perforated material, and a reservoir of salty water. Filtration occurs in two steps; the first from the natural circulation between the warm, upper layer and the colder reservoir below, which draws the salt from the thin layer to the larger reservoir, and the second when the evaporated water from the top layer is collected. Based on the team’s calculation, a one square meter system would be sufficient to provide the daily drinking water needs for a family of four.
Mission Statement;
SolarSip empowers water independence through affordable, solar-powered desalination systems designed for households, disaster zones, and off-grid communities. Clean water should not depend on the grid…or luck.
Market & Opportunity;
Water scarcity is rising due to climate change, aging infrastructure, and geopolitical instability. Nearly two billion people live in water-stressed regions. Traditional desalination is expensive, energy intensive, and inaccessible to remote or lower-income communities. MIT’s solar thermal desalination offers a rare combination; it is simple, cheap, effective, and off-grid capable.
Products;
We see three SKUs;
Mini: A personal or family size unit that offers a capacity of 5 liters per day and is portable (fits in a backpack). It needs to be priced for mass-market adoption with an emphasis on portability and low effort access to potable water, which is perfect for hikers and preppers alike.
Home: A unit designed for residential use with a 20-30 liters per day capacity. The unit needs to be modular (easy replacement pieces) and roof-mounted with optional rainwater harvest add-ons.
Relief: A rugged, field-deployable unit for NGOs and relief organizations for disaster zones or refugee camps.
The majority of the revenue will come from one-time hardware sales through a direct to consumer model. There is an option for recurring subscription revenue through service plans for filter replacement and maintenance kits.
Production Costs;
We’re estimating costs around $60 for a one square meter system, including solar absorbing film, passive salt rejection layer, plastic outer housing, frame/base assembly, collection tank, and shipping materials. With scale we’d expect this to reduce to $35-40 depending on material selection.
For individuals and families, especially in areas facing water scarcity or unreliable infrastructure, this technology would offer a sustainable alternative to traditional water sources and help enhance resilience against climate disruptions.
A Hybrid Future
Utility availability will become more dynamic, more decentralized, and more climate-conscious, but won’t entirely move away from the current system. The most likely future is a hybrid approach, part grid and part homegrown. Homes and apartments will increasingly be expected to contribute to their own needs to reduce load on centralized systems and to ensure continuity during disruptions. At the same time, centralized utilities and supply chains will remain essential for baseline service and as a safety net.
There is so much opportunity in this space and we hope to see a lot more start-ups coming soon. Send us a line and let us know if someone decides to launch this product, or something similar; we’d love to get involved and help any way we can.
Please consider forwarding this piece to a friend or tossing it on the social platform of your choice. Coral Carbon is free and always will be, and every subscriber helps us keep doing this. If you want to work with us directly, stop by our new online home;