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Phoenix666 [soylentnews.org] writes:

M.I.T. Technology Review reports [technologyreview.com]:

At the giant Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park [wsp-pb.com] under construction near Dubai, a desalination facility [khaleejtimes.com] goes into operation this month. Run by an array of solar panels and batteries, the system will produce about 13,200 gallons of drinking water a day for use on site. That’s tiny compared to desalination plants elsewhere, but it’s a start toward answering a pressing question: can countries stop burning fossil fuels to supply fresh water?

Hundreds of desalination plants are planned or under way worldwide because fresh water is increasingly precious. According to a report from the International Food Policy Research Institute [ifpri.org], more than half the world’s population will be at risk of water shortages by 2050 if current trends continue.

...
Unfortunately, solar-powered desalination is expensive: as much as three times the cost of water from grid-powered plants, according to a World Bank report [worldbank.org]. Desalination plants need to run 24 hours a day, requiring expensive battery packs to supplement solar power when the sun’s not shining. Thanks to increased efficiency and the falling price of solar power, costs are expected to fall rapidly: from more than $50 per 1,000 gallons today, in the Middle East, to half of that by midcentury. But that’s still likely too much to make solar-powered desalination economically viable without government subsidies, even in places such as the Middle East that are optimal for solar power.

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