> That's not going to be affordable for many poorer countries. I think that's clearly the crux of the problem with desalination. It works well right now in wea

> That's not going to be affordable for many poorer countries. I think that's clearly the crux of the problem with desalination. It works well right now in wealthy countries. Israel couldn't exist without it. The Carlsbad plant in San Diego can provide water for about 500,000 people and the monthly average water bill in San Diego is around 2x the national average ($80 vs $35-$40; it'd be higher if San Diego were purely desalination). $80/month in a combination water source approach is an affordable problem in high income countries, for such a valuable resource. And it's an impossible cost - even at half that price - for all but the top few percent of families in India, Egypt or Pakistan.