Cheap desalinization has been one of the holy grails of engineering for a long time. There are others like cheap, lightweight and (truly) efficient batteries, safe and efficient cold fusion, etc., etc. This article about how Israel does amazing things to desalinate water at a huge scale and a low price. Here is a quote from the article about where they are with their efforts:
The new plant in Israel, called Sorek, was finished in late 2013 but is just now ramping up to its full capacity; it will produce 627,000 cubic meters of water daily, providing evidence that such large desalination facilities are practical. Indeed, desalinated seawater is now a mainstay of the Israeli water supply. Whereas in 2004 the country relied entirely on groundwater and rain, it now has four seawater desalination plants running; Sorek is the largest. Those plants account for 40 percent of Israel’s water supply. By 2016, when additional plants will be running, some 50 percent of the country’s water is expected to come from desalination.
This could have huge ramifications for the whole world. Imagine if the African and Australian continents could get cheap, fresh water to areas where it was never before available. What about desalination and pumping of water to the arid parts of Mexico and even to Arizona from the Gulf of California. It is a big deal.
Betty Blonde #270 – 07/31/2009
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