An integrated solar-driven system produces electricity with fresh water and crops in arid regions

Stable supplies of water, energy, and food are the most essential factors to universal achievements United Nation’s Sustainable Developments Goals (SDGs) by 2030. This work reports a self-sustained solar-driven, integrated water-electricity-crop co-production system (WEC2P). The design WEC2P is based on atmospheric water adsorption-desorption cycle (1) generate cooling power for photovoltaic (PV) cells increase their electricity generation performance or (2) sustainably produce fresh from vapor support crop growth. During 3-month-long outdoor field test, successfully reduced temperature PV panels up 17°C increased 9.9% in mode. Meanwhile, it produced irrigate crops (i.e., spinach) hosted an plant-growing unit Saudi Arabia, with surviving rate 95%. Thereby, may represent meaningful contribution global water-energy-food nexus.