INDESPA Chile Fishing Village Water Supply Case Study | SPECTRA LB-2800F Solar Watermaker System
The fishing village of Pan de Azúcar, located on the coast of Chile's Atacama Desert, lacks natural freshwater sources and public electricity and water supply systems.
INDESPA, Sea Line, Nauticentro, and the local fishermen's union collaborated to introduce a solar-powered SPECTRA LB-2800F reverse osmosis water purification system. This system converts seawater into drinking water, supporting 22 households, 3 seafood restaurants, and ongoing fishing activities.
案例原始資料｜Original Case Information
客戶與現場條件｜The Client
This water purification equipment was purchased by the fishermen's union of Pan de Azúcar, Chile. Pan de Azúcar is a small fishing village located on the Atacama Desert coast, comprising 22 households and 3 seafood restaurants, and situated within the Pan de Azúcar National Park, known for its unique marine flora and fauna.
Public electricity and water supply facilities do not extend to this village, so residents must generate their own electricity, primarily relying on solar photovoltaic systems. Access to safe drinking water has long been the most pressing issue in the area. In the past, the village relied on water trucks to transport water from the city of Chañaral to sustain residents' lives and fishing activities.
The initial need for this project was to provide drinking water for seafood restaurants and enable the continued development of local fishing activities. The project was funded by INDESPA, a Chilean government agency responsible for promoting the sustainable development of artisanal fishing and small-scale aquaculture. INDESPA collaborated with the local fishermen's union to purchase the water purification equipment and define the core purpose of the project.
Project goals include supporting the local economy of Pan de Azúcar, diversifying fisheries development, and laying the foundation for future community development. The drinking water produced by the LB-2800F supports seafood restaurants, village sanitation, and daily household water needs, further improving the health and livelihood conditions of fishing families.
專案執行內容｜Project Details
Sea Line and Nauticentro have been serving locally in Chile for over 35 years, providing products and technical support to small fishing communities. Under the framework of the government program INDESPA, INDESPA, Sea Line, and Nauticentro jointly completed the installation of a renewable energy-driven water purification system.
Construction began in December 2019. The entire system was installed in a 16-foot fiberglass equipment house built by Sea Line. One side of the equipment house houses batteries, inverters, charge controllers, and spare parts; the other side is dedicated to the SPECTRA LB-2800F main unit, as well as related components such as large pre-filters, booster pumps, and chlorination tanks.
A 3-horsepower electric pump is installed at the seaside pier to pump seawater and send raw water to two 15,000-liter seawater storage tanks located at a higher elevation. The system also includes two additional 15,000-liter tanks for storing the drinking water produced by the LB-2800F.
Sea Line provides remote monitoring for the water purification system and conducted on-site operational training for the fishermen's union. Case data indicates that the fishermen's union was very satisfied with the overall installation results and the high-quality drinking water produced by the LB-2800F.
關於 SPECTRA LB-2800F｜About the Watermaker
The SPECTRA LB-2800F is a reverse osmosis water purification system featuring the Pearson Pump energy recovery device. This durable system boasts high energy efficiency and is well-suited for solar power integration, making it ideal for areas lacking stable grid electricity but having access to seawater or brackish water sources.
The system is designed with a fixed recovery rate, ensuring that the reverse osmosis membranes maintain a lifespan of several years and are not considered frequently replaceable consumables. The equipment's operation logic is relatively straightforward, not requiring highly specialized personnel for continuous on-site operation.
The Spectra Connect Controller allows the water purification system to operate automatically and perform freshwater flushing when needed. For areas with access to seawater or brackish water but long-term drinking water pressure, this type of robust and self-managing water purification equipment can directly improve residents' health, daily sanitation, and overall quality of life.
Learn more about the SPECTRA LB-2800F Land-Based Watermaker
原始報告中的 Katadyn Group 介紹｜About the Katadyn Group
The original case report introduces the Katadyn Group as an international corporate group focused on self-sufficient nutrition and drinking water supply. Brands listed at the time of the report's publication included Katadyn, Trek'n Eat, AlpineAire Foods, Optimus, Pharmavoyage, Micropur, Certisil, Steripen, and Spectra Watermakers.
These brands provide products and solutions for various sectors such as outdoor, marine, industrial, and public utilities, covering freeze-dried food, outdoor cooking equipment, mobile and land-based desalination systems, and industrial professional disinfection systems. Humanitarian organizations and military forces are also long-term professional clients of the Katadyn Group.
The case report states that the Katadyn Group was headquartered in Kemptthal, Switzerland, and at the time had approximately 200 employees across its subsidiaries in Europe, Asia, and the United States. This section is translated and retained based on the group's information at the time of the original case publication. The current brand portfolio and corporate information are subject to the latest announcements from the Katadyn Group.
馬布谷觀察
This project established not just a desalination unit, but a complete water supply system capable of sustained local operation.
Water intake, raw water storage, solar power supply, reverse osmosis water purification, drinking water storage, remote monitoring, and personnel training were integrated into a single on-site process to ensure the equipment continued to function effectively even with reduced external support.
The Pan de Azúcar case demonstrates that when evaluating a mobile or fixed water purification solution, one cannot solely consider daily production capacity. Raw water salinity and turbidity, intake distance and elevation difference, pre-treatment, power supply method, storage capacity, operating personnel, spare parts, and maintenance capabilities all directly influence the system's ability to operate stably in the long term.
For Taiwan's outlying islands, coastal communities, fishing bases, temporary post-disaster water supply, and local resilience construction, this case provides a clear planning direction: when tap water pipelines and water transport supplies cannot be the sole reliance, a more independent drinking water supply can be established based on existing on-site water sources, energy conditions, and local operational capabilities.
