News

Gili Genting Island in Madura, Indonesia, has approximately 10,000 residents who rely on fishing and tourism, which requires salt preservation and access to fresh water. Institut Teknologi Sepuluh Nopember (ITS) students in Surabaya, Indonesia, addressed this need through their EPICS in IEEE project entitled “Gili Genting Island’s Oxygen Conservation: IoT-Driven PV-RO for Salt and Drinkable Water Production.”  The team successfully implemented and tested their solar-powered seawater reverse osmosis (SWRO) system, which can produce both fresh drinking water and salt within a single setup while using IoT technology for monitoring. 

“The idea for our system was born after we conducted a field survey on Gili Genting Island to assess the community’s needs and found that, while most of the locals are fishermen who rely on salt to preserve fish, there’s also high demand for fresh drinking water on the island,” shared Rohmah Hidayah, ITS student and Team Leader. 

This team of students collaborated with people from the  Karya Bahari community on Gili Genting Island to develop a modified reverse osmosis system. “Our modified reverse osmosis (RO) system directs high-salinity wastewater into a solar still with a heating element, using evaporation to separate water from salt. Powered by an off-grid PV system, it allows local fishermen to produce drinking water and salt from seawater whenever sunlight is available.” Hidayah explained that the salt can preserve their catch, while the drinking water addresses water security on the island. In addition, collected data will be used by a short message service (SMS)-based software tool to inform the community whether the seawater has been successfully converted into drinkable water.

Through ongoing monitoring of the system’s performance, the team aims to ensure it provides sustainable benefits to both fishermen and local residents of Gili Genting Island, as well as other small islands in Indonesia. “By combining renewable energy, seawater purification technology, and IoT-based monitoring systems, this initiative has great potential to accelerate digital transformation and food security in coastal areas,” Hidayah said.

Hidayah confirmed that the project delivered many benefits to all team members.

“We learned to design, develop, and calibrate an IoT-based PV-RO system for producing drinkable water with standard Total Dissolved Solids levels, and to optimize saltwater separation systems for local needs,” Hidayah said. 

Hidayah and teammates are thankful for the chance to join this EPICS in IEEE project, which was supported by the Fischer Mertel Community of Projects, a fund created to honor the dedication and contributions of engineering industry leaders Joe Fischer and Herb Mertel.Donor support has allowed EPICS in IEEE students to make a notable difference around the globe. If you are interested in learning more, visit epics.ieee.org .