Jakarta & Seattle — PT IKAN (Inovasi Kemandirian Air Nusantara) introduces the aQuaSolis Submersible Energy & Desalination Platform (EDP), a hybrid system integrating renewable desalination and energy storage. Recently qualified for the $119M XPRIZE Water Scarcity competition, supported by the Mohamed bin Zayed Water Initiative (MBZWI), aQuaSolis positions Indonesia at the forefront of global freshwater innovation. 

The first pilot will be deployed in Kepulauan Seribu (Thousand Islands), Jakarta, a region still facing daily freshwater scarcity. By combining Fresnel solar optics, TSMD modules, PCM thermal batteries, and marine-friendly brine management (halophytes and Biorock reefs), aQuaSolis is engineered to potentially deliver over 1,000 m³/day of clean water with zero carbon emissions. 

PT IKAN operates under a platform-as-a-service model: offshore infrastructure is community co-owned, ensuring both water sovereignty and equitable profit-sharing while restoring marine ecosystems. 

PT IKAN Joins the Global Wave of Desalination Disruptors with aQuaSolis Hybrid Platform 

Revolutionizing Desalination for Global Water Use — Zero-carbon water, powered by nature 

Seattle, USA & Jakarta, Indonesia — 21/10/2025— As water scarcity intensifies from England to the Middle East, a new generation of innovators is rethinking how the world secures freshwater. Today, PT IKAN (Inovasi Kemandirian Air Nusantara) announces its aQuaSolis Submersible Energy & Desalination Platform (EDP) as a qualified competitor in the XPRIZE Water Scarcity competition, sponsored by the Mohamed bin Zayed Water Initiative (MBZWI). The first pilot system will be deployed in Kepulauan Seribu (Thousand Islands), Jakarta, bringing freshwater innovation directly to communities most in need. 

About PT IKAN

PT IKAN is an Indonesian social enterprise advancing community-scale water self-reliance. Its name—Inovasi Kemandirian Air Nusantara—literally means “innovation for national water independence.” 

IKAN’s mission is to deliver zero-carbon water and energy services through a platform-as-a-service model: the company builds and operates offshore infrastructure, while host communities co-own the assets and share in revenue streams. This approach emphasizes decentralized water sovereignty, ecological restoration, and equitable profit-sharing—values aligned with the XPRIZE Water Scarcity competition. 

About aQuaSolis 

aQuaSolis is IKAN’s flagship hybrid desalination and energy-storage platform, designed for offshore island and coastal communities. At full scale, the system is engineered to produce over 1,000 m³/day of freshwater using only natural resources. 

The first pilot project will be deployed along the shore of an island in Kepulauan Seribu (Thousand Islands), Jakarta, where access to freshwater remains a daily challenge. This pilot will demonstrate how submersible desalination platforms can deliver reliable, ecological, and energy-autonomous water solutions for tropical island communities. Key subsystems include: 

• Solar Fresnel Lens Steam Generation for concentrated thermal input. 
• Multistage Evaporation with Thermal-Vapor Compression (MED-TVC) for high-yield distillation. 
• Thermohaline Solar Membrane Distillation (TSMD) Modules for extreme salt resistance, proven stable at 20 wt% hypersalinity. 
• PCM Thermal Batteries (erythritol, Hitec®, solar salt) for 16-hour night autonomy.
• Graphene-Oxide Nanofiltration for polishing and water quality assurance. 
• Blue-Energy (salinity-gradient) Power Generation and Metal-Seawater Batteries for renewable electricity. 
• Halophyte Wetlands for ecological brine polishing and biomass recovery.
• Biorock Mineral-Accretion to transform brine into limestone, restoring coral reefs. 

Current Technology Readiness Level (TRL 5–6): key components have been tested at pilot scale and are now being integrated into full-system demonstrations. 

 About XPRIZE 

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. 

XPRIZE Alignment 

The aQuaSolis system is engineered to directly meet Track A judging criteria: 

• Innovation & Technical Merit – originality of the approach compared to state-of-the-art desalination methods, and the potential to introduce breakthrough improvements.
• System Design & Feasibility – clarity, integration, and practicality of proposed systems.
• Sustainability & Environmental Impact – potential to improve energy efficiency, promote marine-friendly intake, enable brine resource recovery, and minimize footprint.

Contact & Call to Action 

PT IKAN invites journalists, partners, and community stakeholders to engage in its mission of advancing water self-reliance across island and coastal regions. 

● Media: Interviews, images, and technical materials available on request. 

● Partners & Investors: Seeking collaborations with utilities, coastal 

governments, and impact investors to scale pilot deployments. 

● Communities: Island and coastal regions interested in hosting pilot systems are encouraged to reach out and explore co-ownership opportunities. 

Quote for Media Use 
“The world’s next desalination breakthroughs won’t come from megaplants in the desert, but from modular, ecological, and energy-autonomous systems. PT IKAN’s aQuaSolis proves that tropical nations can lead this wave of innovation, not just follow it.” 

— Budi Mulyo, Team Lead, PT IKAN