TV broadcast on Nieuwsuur 14 sept. ’23 2023

Last week The Global Irrigation Project was an item in the Dutch program Nieuwsuur. In this item, the result of an research committe; theovershoot-commission where discussed. One of the topics of the report was that we should investigate the possibilities of cooling down the earth through climate adaptation. In this item, the DOT workshop is visited and both Jan van der Tempel and Herman Russchenberg discuss their view of this topic.

For the full broadcast (in Dutch): https://www.npostart.nl/nieuwsuur/15-09-2023/VPWON_1343741

Fighting Climate change with Rotating Cloud Creators

A visualisation of the process: office wind turbines vaporize salt water leading to cloud creation

The Netherlands, 6 april 2022 – The Global Irrigation Project unveiled its new innovative solution to combat global warming today. The Dutch NGO has developed a revolutionary technology that harnesses sustainable wind power to produce clouds on demand. Through the strategic placement of wind turbines, the technology allows water vapour to be pumped into the atmosphere through the turbines as they turn. This in turn allows for cloud formation and rainfall in otherwise arid and dry areas. 

The Global Irrigation Project revealed through a futuristic film its ambition to end global warming, by creating clouds and transforming deserted area into fertile soil. The NGO revealed a highly innovative concept where wind turbines, already used worldwide for sustainable energy generation, create clouds by vaporizing sea water. 

Initiator and Dutch entrepreneur Pieter Hannessen is convinced that these rotating cloud makers can solve international crises, such as global warming, water scarcity, and food shortages on a large scale: “Thanks to our technology, we are able to meet the growing needs of energy and fresh water. Wind turbines along the Sahara coastline can produce green energy and create clouds on a large scale. In this way we are able to cool the planet and create extra living space for the growing population.”

Technical innovation fights current crises
The water sector is under pressure globally and according to a report by the World Resources Institute (WRI)[1], 37 countries are experiencing an extreme level of water scarcity. The KWR Water Research Institute also warns that the Netherlands will experience problems with this in the future[2]. Currently, groundwater is being extracted from the soil for agriculture and industry on an unimaginably large scale, which is not sustainable.

In 2019 the initiator of TGIP, Pieter Hannesen, was in Johannesburg (South Africa), where he saw with his own eyes that the increasing water shortages can only be solved on a large scale. Since then, he has been working behind the scenes with a team of academics and engineers on a concept in which thousands, if not millions, of wind turbines will create clouds and renewable energy. 

By strategically placing thousands of modified wind turbines on offshore locations close by so-called b-climates, seawater can be selectively vaporized into the atmosphere. This leads to a sun-blocking cloud deck, from which the water will eventually come down as precipitation. Deserted areas can be transformed into ground suitable for vegetation and agriculture, where populations can propagate. 

“Creating clouds is twofold. With the cloud cover, sunlight will be blocked and hence cools earth’s surface. In addition, the clouds drift to dry areas, where rainfall enables vegetation to grow; groundwater level rises, lakes appear and vegetation can prosper. According to initial calculations, our technology could even make agriculture possible in the Sahara!”, according to Pieter Hannessen

According to professor of atmospheric research prof.dr.ir. Russchenberg[3], creating clouds is a promising solution to combat global warming: “Reflecting sunlight helps cool the earth, and clouds do this naturally. By introducing more dust particles into the atmosphere, we obtain more water droplets. More cloud droplets leads to more reflection of sunlight, and more reflection of sunlight leads to a cooler earth.” Foreign researchers, such as John Latham[4], have also investigated the effects of this so-called geo-engineering and confirm the potential of clouds as the answer to the climate crisis.

The initiative launched today with a concept film that outlines the future with The Global Irrigation Project, through futuristic wind farms, agricultural robots and surreal desert landscapes. In the coming period, The Global Irrigation Project, in collaboration with its partners, hopes to carry out the first tests and measurements.

Note for editors

About the organisation 
The Global Irrigation Project was founded in 2022 by a Dutch entrepreneur and manufacturing industry expert, Pieter Hannessen. Currently, this non-governmental organisation is inviting governments, (research) institutions, investors and other companies to join this quest for a better world. As the concept is captured in a pending patent, The Global Irrigation Project will focus on sharing knowledge and boosting innovation, towards a better world with rotating cloud creators. 

Concept film
The launched concept film can be viewed and shared via YouTube.

Photo and video materials
A complete set of press photos and video material can be downloaded at https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/17Ht7Mc9zjslE2Jnnsaiw3HM2sVkBBdrY?usp=sharing

Press contact: Roland Guijs | Indall | [email protected]

[1] https://www.wri.org/data/water-stress-country#:~:text=Our%20analysis%20finds%20that%2037,industrial%20users%20is%20withdrawn%20annually. 

[2] https://www.kwrwater.nl/onderzoek/sustainability-water-cycle/duurzaam-gebruik-van-zoetwaterbronnen/

[3] https://eenvandaag.avrotros.nl/item/met-ruimteschilden-en-wittere-wolken-willen-wetenschappers-het-klimaat-redden-maar-verduurzamen-moeten-we-blijven-doen/

[4] J. Latham et al. (2005) Computational assessment of a proposed technique for global warming mitigation via albedo-enhancement of marine stratocumulus clouds

To protect the interests of The Global Irrigation Project and to create a central decision making organization involving the geo-engineering, a patent is currently pending on the innovations of The Global Irrigation Project. The patent is created in cooperation with the firm Arnold & Siedsma in the Netherlands, and registered under number N2031011.