Main applications:

• fog collectors can provide water meeting World Health Organization drinking water standards to rural communities and groups of homes; this water is inexpensive to produce and can be delivered to the homes by gravity flow
• fog collectors can provide water for reforestation of ridge lines and the upper parts of mountains where it is impractical to import water from conventional sources; the fog water can be delivered to drip irrigation systems by gravity flow and the resulting forests, if properly situated, can become self-sustaining by directly collecting fog water. (Schemenauer 2008)

Advantages:

• Passive collection system requiring no energy input to operate
• Cheap and easy to maintain and repair
• Water quality is generally good in non-industrial areas, though pH can often be low
• Modular system that can grow in line with demand or available funds
• Quick and simple design and construction. Installation requires little time or skill
• Low capital investment and other costs compared to conventional sources of potable water in mountainous and arid areas

Disadvantages:

• Technology requires very specific climatologic and topographic conditions. Yield is difficult to predict so a thorough pilot project is required in every case
• Yield is very sensitive to changes in climate conditions and so a back-up supply is required
• Fog collection is unlikely to be of regional or national importance as a water supply. Emphasis is on the local level which requires full community participation
• If the collectors are not close to the point of use then the cost of the pipeline can make the system uneconomic and hydraulically difficult
• Vulnerability to vandalism
• Good access to the site is required for installation, maintenance and monitoring

(Furey 1998)