[ptrklly]

I don't have views on the credibility of specific technologies but I've hoped that these could be viable in places like coastal California where fog provides quite a bit of air moisture but it never rains--do you not agree with that?

[kragen]

If you have fog or dew, you can just use a fog net: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fog_collection https://news.climate.columbia.edu/2011/03/07/the-fog-collect...

These are mentioned in Table 1 of the Nature article: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-021-03900-w.pdf

In coastal California, redwood trees have been doing this since the Jurassic.

In the conditions you describe, fog nets commonly yield 2–3 ℓ/m²/day of water (20–30 nm/second), though experimental projects have reached yields over 13 ℓ/m²/day (150 nm/s): https://www.oas.org/dsd/publications/unit/oea59e/ch12.htm

Fog nets are easier to make and easier to repair, and consequently enormously cheaper. This makes them practical not only for drinking water but even for irrigation. They are more tolerant of damage, though they do need yearly maintenance. But they don't work on days without dew, and in some places, that's nearly all days.