think & develop
from R&D and first concepts to fully structured, permitted projects.
pH2Otovoltaic develops renewable-energy & freshwater projects: from module-integrated membrane distillation, born out of our own R&D, to utility-scale solar-powered reverse-osmosis desalination.
pH2Otovoltaic is a brand of pv-contracting OÜ
the name says it all: take photovoltaics — and put H2O at the heart of it.
a typical solar module converts only about a quarter of the sunlight it receives into electricity. the rest is lost as heat. we asked a simple question: what if that energy could produce fresh water? from this idea grew a project-development approach that pairs solar power with water production — whether through our module-integrated membrane distillation technology or through classic utility-scale reverse osmosis powered by dedicated solar generation.
from R&D and first concepts to fully structured, permitted projects.
bankable project and financing structures — at any phase of a project.
EPC management, operations and maintenance over the full life cycle.
it started in 2018, when two colleagues — tom freyberg and andreas gisch — set out to use the roughly 75% of sunlight that a typical PV module cannot convert into electricity.
andreas, a physician with a deep scientific and technical background in renewable energy, saw a way to put that unused heat to work: driving membrane water distillation directly from the back of a solar module. a working prototype followed — and a year later, independent research from KAUST (king abdullah university of science & technology), published in nature communications, confirmed the same principle.
that same instinct — find the value that's already there, and build the infrastructure to capture it — drives everything we do today: from piloting our own PV-integrated membrane distillation to developing integrated utility-scale power & water platforms.
pv-contracting OÜ
an advisory company registered under the laws of estonia, represented by its founder and owner, thomas freyberg.
pH2Otovoltaic is the brand under which pv-contracting bundles its renewable-energy & freshwater project development.
every location and every off-taker is different. that is why pH2Otovoltaic works with two complementary technology routes — module-integrated membrane distillation and utility-scale reverse osmosis.
a multilayer distillation element laminated to the rear side of a standard PV module turns waste heat into drinking water — while the module keeps producing electricity.
where large volumes of potable water are needed, we develop classic utility-scale platforms: dedicated solar generation powering seawater reverse-osmosis desalination.
what adding membrane distillation to a solar plant delivers on top — measured on our 0.5 kWp prototype system and conservatively extrapolated.
| season | irradiance (kWh/m²·day) | freshwater yield per module |
|---|---|---|
| summer | 6 | ≈ 6.7 L/day |
| spring / autumn | 4 | ≈ 4.4 L/day |
| winter | 2 | ≈ 2.2 L/day |
| hot, sunny regions | 7 | 7.8–9.0 L/day |
prototype measurements (0.5 kWp test system); hot-region values reflect our current R&D targets with improved thermal efficiency and cooling.
we cover the complete renewable-energy & freshwater project life cycle: from the first idea to long-term operations.
identifying, shaping and maturing project opportunities — from greenfield idea to a fully permitted project.
structuring bankable projects and arranging finance and investment — at any phase.
technical concept, design and engineering for integrated power & water plants.
sourcing and contracting of technology, components and construction partners.
managing construction through to commissioning — on time, on budget, on spec.
long-term operations, maintenance and performance optimisation.
on mauritania's atlantic coast, two resources are abundant: sunlight and seawater. what has been missing is the infrastructure to turn them into electricity and drinking water at scale — for a fast-growing capital, nouakchott, where roughly 1.45 million people (nearly one in three mauritanians) live, only about a third of households nationally have piped water at home, and the estimated dry-season supply gap runs to ~45,000 m³ per day.
the pH2Otovoltaic infrastructure initiative answers this with one integrated power & water platform of three components: a utility-scale solar PV field with battery storage, a seawater reverse-osmosis plant powered directly by it, and a dedicated multi-pipe corridor along the N2 highway delivering potable water straight into nouakchott's supply.
the initiative is currently in the project development phase. the detailed concept and full documentation are available to qualified partners and institutions on request.
sun, sand and seawater — mauritania's atlantic coast holds everything the platform needs.
utility-scale solar-powered RO desalination — reference plant, illustrative.
coastal PV + desalination with direct seawater intake — concept rendering.
water pipeline and power lines, side by side through the desert — the ~225 km corridor to nouakchott.
configuration: 160 MWp solar PV · 100 MWp grid export · 60 MWp RO desalination · 25 MWh BESS
the 160 MWp site is split: 100 MWp export to the national grid, 60 MWp power the RO plant — two essential public services from one plant, a balanced supply profile.
configuration: 160 MWp solar PV · all dedicated to RO desalination · 25 MWh BESS
all 160 MWp are dedicated to desalination — no grid connection required. a single mission: water security for the capital, with roughly 2.7× the water output of pathway a.
whether you are a public off-taker, a project partner, an investor or a technology company: if solar energy and fresh water matter to you, we would like to hear from you.
pv-contracting OÜ
a limited company registered under the laws of estonia (rik.ee)
ahtri tn 12, kesklinna district
15551 tallinn city, harju county, estonia
registry code: 16841247
VAT-ID: EE102807813
pv-contracting OÜ is legally represented by thomas freyberg as CEO.
e-mail: tom@ph2otovoltaic.com
phone: +43 670 40 40 256
office: vienna, austria
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pH2Otovoltaic is a brand of pv-contracting OÜ.
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