Recipients of PSC Small Grant Awards

This project will determine the applicability of a concentrating solar power (CSP) water desalination technology to address freshwater scarcity in Samara, Costa Rica. In Samara, already scarce resources are being compounded by demographic and climate trends. Current coping strategies are unsustainable and threaten to create additional problems through the salinization of coastal aquifers.

The proposed project specifically includes: (1) a technical feasibility assessment, (2) a social acceptability assessment, and (3) a business and governance plan for the technology. Findings will be submitted for publication in peer-reviewed journals and shared at academic conferences. Additionally, the output of this project will be used to generate recommendations for solidifying a partnership between Sustainability Without Borders’ (SWB) and the local community for the near future so as to best facilitate the technology transfer in the long term.