There’s plenty of research going on, but AFAIK, no particular large-scale push for implementation. I haven’t studied the topic, but my impression is that this is mostly something they can get by with current sources and conservation for a few decades yet. Desalinization is expensive, not just in terms of money, but in terms of energy—scaling it up before absolutely needed is a net environmental harm.
Why isn’t California investing heavily in desalination? Has anybody thought through the economics? Is this a live idea?
There’s plenty of research going on, but AFAIK, no particular large-scale push for implementation. I haven’t studied the topic, but my impression is that this is mostly something they can get by with current sources and conservation for a few decades yet. Desalinization is expensive, not just in terms of money, but in terms of energy—scaling it up before absolutely needed is a net environmental harm.
This article seems to be about the case. The economics seem unclear. The politics seem bad because it means taking on the enviromentalists.