The consortium team is one of only two semifinalists in both Track A (System-Level Innovation) and Track B (Novel Materials and Methods). Dhekelia Desalination Plant to host semifinals testing, which will operate in energy-efficiency and water-wise modes.
BOSTON, May 17, 2026 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Renaissance Water is proud to announce four industry partners: Protec-Arisawa, DuPont, Danfoss, and Aqua Membranes. The consortium, led by Harmony Desalting, includes a desalination process company, membrane manufacturers, a pressure vessel provider, and a pump company. Together the team will design, build, and deploy a 100 tons/day seawater desalter to demonstrate a more reliable, sustainable, and affordable source of fresh water.
"Protec-Arisawa is proud to supply our US made, ultra high-pressure vessels to Renaissance Water's Blackbird system, helping bring reliable, affordable desalination to communities worldwide." - Ken Kasamatsu, President & CEO, Protec-Arisawa
QUALIFIED TESTING RESULTS: In December 2025, Renaissance Water completed the two-week qualified test in Chelsea, MA. The team's pilot desalter (4 tons/day) operated on real seawater in re-circulation mode, demonstrating hydraulic specific energy consumption (SEC) as low as 1.8 kWh/m3 at 48% water recovery. The pilot operated with 98% uptime, demonstrating the reliability of Harmony's batch desalting technology, a dynamic reverse osmosis process. An independent judging panel of desalination experts reviewed Renaissance's qualified test report and selected the team to advance to the Semifinals.
"Addressing water scarcity is becoming increasingly important. Desalination is one of the solutions Danfoss is proud to contribute to through most energy efficient technologies." - Georg Herborrg Enevold, Head of Innovation, Danfoss
PREMIER INDUSTRY PARTNERS: The successful deployment of an innovative desalination plant requires appropriate integration of best-in-class components. Renaissance Water's semifinals desalter, Blackbird, will combine a batch reverse osmosis process with advanced membrane elements, high-quality pressure vessels, energy-efficient pumps, and ever-reliable valves. Harmony Desalting has previously worked with these partners and each has been selected for their essential contributions to a dependable seawater desalter that pushes the performance envelope.
"Our Printed Spacer Technology was designed for exactly this — delivering the energy efficiency and fouling resistance that next-generation desalination demands." - CJ Kurth, Chief Technology Officer, Aqua Membranes
"Our FortiLife™ UHP reverse osmosis elements enable less brine production and push the limits of desalination." - Christine Park, Global Marketing Lead, DuPont Industrial Water
SEMIFINALS TEST PLAN: Blackbird will operate in two modes of operation: *energy-efficiency* mode with a target of <2.0 kWh/m3 at 50% water recovery and *water-wise* mode with a target of >66.7% water recovery when operating at up to 120 bar (1,800 psi). This fall, the team will send Blackbird (100 tons/day capacity) to Dhekelia Desalination Plant (Cyprus) to operate on seawater in pass-through mode for the four-week semifinals test. Following the conclusion of Track A Semifinals testing by this December 19, the XPRIZE Judging Panel will select up to five teams to advance to the finals to compete for the $40 million grand prize.
"We are proud to pilot test Renaissance Water's Blackbird system at Dhekelia Desalination Plant, helping advance sustainable and affordable desalination solutions for communities worldwide." - Erina Caramondani. Deputy CEO, Caramondani Desalination Plants
XPRIZE is the recognized global leader in designing and executing large-scale competitions to solve humanity's greatest challenges. For over 30 years, our unique model has democratized crowd-sourced innovation and scientifically scalable solutions that accelerate a more equitable and abundant future. Donate, learn more, and co-architect a world of abundance with us at xprize.org
RENAISSSANCE WATER combines deep process expertise with practical engineering and best-in-class components. We are pushing the limits of desalination efficiency and performance by combining a true batch process with novel reverse osmosis elements.
CARAMONDANI DESALINATION PLANTS is recognized as a pioneer in the desalination sector in Cyprus. Dhekelia Desalination Plant (DDP) was the first plant in the world to use boron selective resins and the first large-scale plant to test and implement the isobaric pressure exchanger. Today, through our plants in Dhekelia, Paphos (BOOT), and Moni (O&M), we supply the Water Development Department of the Republic of Cyprus with 95,000 m³/day of drinking water.
AQUA MEMBRANES manufactures Reverse Osmosis membrane elements using its cutting-edge Printed Spacer Technology. Instead of using legacy mesh feed channels that can hinder performance, they use large-scale printers to apply the spacer directly onto the membrane surface. This innovation saves energy, increases productivity, and lowers the rate of fouling, delivering a more sustainable, efficient, and cost-effective solution.
DUPONT WATER SOLUTIONS: For over 70 years, we've strengthened businesses and communities worldwide, from pioneering the world's first spiral-wound membranes, to assembling the most extensive range of solutions that integrate ultrafiltration, nanofiltration, reverse osmosis, ion exchange, and electrodeonization technologies, to leading the development of sustainable methods of water management.
PROTEC ARISAWA is the global leader for the design and the manufacturing of Fiber Reinforced Plastic Pressure Vessels for membrane filtration systems.With three production sites located on three different continents and over 50 years of experience in filament winding, Protec Arisawa is your supplier of choice when it comes to selecting high-quality pressure vessels with leading technology.
DANFOSS POWER SOLUTIONS offers a wide range of hydraulic pumps for mobile and industrial applications including hydrostatic, gear, piston, vane and digital displacement pumps. We have the technology and the expertise to transform mobile and industrial machinery, leading the way to a more sustainable future. Together with our customers, we are increasing machine productivity and efficiency while reducing or eliminating emissions.
HARMONY DESALTING addresses the two biggest challenges of water desalination: energy intensity and brine waste. Our true batch process, developed at MIT, achieves superior performance: minimal energy by varying pressure and fouling-resistance with regular rinsing.
Media Contact
Quantum Wei, Renaissance Water, 1 234567890, [email protected], https://renaissancewater.com/
SOURCE Renaissance Water
Share this article