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Why desalination isn't the answer... http://blogs.kqed.org/science/audio/why-isnt-desalination-the-answer-to-all-californias-water-problems/ http://blogs.kqed.o

Why desalination isn't the answer... http://blogs.kqed.org/science/audio/why-isnt-desalination-the-answer-to-all-californias-water-problems/ http://blogs.kqed.org/science/audio/why-isnt-desalination-th...

jerhinesmith 12y ago
I was literally going to post the exact same article. Up until I read this a few days ago, I would have jumped into a debate with "desalination! just do it!" -- turns out it's much more complicated than that.
bduerst 12y ago
tl;dr: Desal is too energy intensive and expensive to be feasible while other conservation options haven't been tried yet. Also, massive potential environmental impact for water intake and brine output.
- nawitus 12y ago
  I find it odd that it's too expensive. It's cheaper than the price of water in e.g. Finland and many European countries, yet I've never heard anyone complain about the price water. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Desalination#Economics http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Desalination#Economics http://www.vercon.fi/fi/tietoa-vedenkulutuksesta/veden-hinta/ http://www.vercon.fi/fi/tietoa-vedenkulutuksesta/veden-hinta...
  - refurb 12y ago
    I was going to say. Look at the numbers in the article. $25,000 per month for 1200 homes. That's $20.83 per month. I'm sure costs down down with scale. Not that much different than what I'm paying for municipal water.
  - deleted 12y ago
    [deleted]
MichaelGG 12y ago
Why aren't they simply boiling the water, nuclear powered? That article says membrane desal leaves half the water extra salty, is that right? Does boiling it leave that much? I'd imagine there'd just be a concentrated, mostly-solid byproduct. I'm probably wrong else everyone would already be doing this. OTOH, many people and places seem to be going against nuclear power, so perhaps it isn't just a technical issue. At any rate, that article just left more questions than answers.
- bduerst 12y ago
  Is nuclear cheaper per joule than other energy on the grid? They'd essentially be running a nuclear powerplant, which wouldn't turn out any resellable power, just water.

jerhinesmith 12y ago

I was literally going to post the exact same article. Up until I read this a few days ago, I would have jumped into a debate with "desalination! just do it!" -- turns out it's much more complicated than that.

bduerst 12y ago

tl;dr: Desal is too energy intensive and expensive to be feasible while other conservation options haven't been tried yet. Also, massive potential environmental impact for water intake and brine output.

nawitus 12y ago
I find it odd that it's too expensive. It's cheaper than the price of water in e.g. Finland and many European countries, yet I've never heard anyone complain about the price water. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Desalination#Economics http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Desalination#Economics http://www.vercon.fi/fi/tietoa-vedenkulutuksesta/veden-hinta/ http://www.vercon.fi/fi/tietoa-vedenkulutuksesta/veden-hinta...
- refurb 12y ago
  I was going to say. Look at the numbers in the article. $25,000 per month for 1200 homes. That's $20.83 per month. I'm sure costs down down with scale. Not that much different than what I'm paying for municipal water.
- deleted 12y ago
  [deleted]

MichaelGG 12y ago

Why aren't they simply boiling the water, nuclear powered? That article says membrane desal leaves half the water extra salty, is that right? Does boiling it leave that much? I'd imagine there'd just be a concentrated, mostly-solid byproduct. I'm probably wrong else everyone would already be doing this. OTOH, many people and places seem to be going against nuclear power, so perhaps it isn't just a technical issue. At any rate, that article just left more questions than answers.

bduerst 12y ago
Is nuclear cheaper per joule than other energy on the grid? They'd essentially be running a nuclear powerplant, which wouldn't turn out any resellable power, just water.