$450@acre foot is world class if they can do it in scale.
Sounds promising, but ... tagline.
California has no choice but to follow Israel’s path in desalination. With almost 40 million people, there isn’t enough fresh water to go around. The only place where there is a limitless supply of potential fresh water is the Pacific Ocean.
As desalination technologies improve and the cost goes down, pumping water from the sea will become increasingly attractive in addressing water shortages caused by drought and surging human, agricultural and industrial needs.
The time when we are dependent on the sea has finally come calling.
The lack of water is not just worrying for growers. It affects all people who eat food.
***Yes it does. But there is this contingent of anti-science Luddites who refuse to examine the scientifically established alternatives, such as LENR for cheap desalination.
http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/coldfusion/index?tab=articles
Just look at even the latest thread. Where do such skeptopaths even begin to look at the science behind the claims?
“The lack of water is not just worrying for growers. It affects all people who eat food.”
Why... that’s almost all of ‘em.
When the demonstration plant is operating in commercial mode, running 24 hours a day, it can put out 25 to 30 gallons of freshwater a minute, says Mandell
Now, this is a SOLAR plant, right?
I’d do something ambitious and radical. Buy up all the land inside the Salton Sea Basin (up to Sea Level) then with Treaty with Mexico, create a large Canal (large enough for cargo and ocean lining ships, along with fishing ships) to go through to the Gulf.
It would serve both as an inland port, an endless supply of water through desalinization + would provide many miles of coastline for tourism, and wildlife coastal refuge.
-J.S. (Of course likely this would never happen especially in CA, but it would give all parties a worth-while resource).
Another obama pipe dream hoax.
“a 6,500-square foot system that is capable of producing around 10 gallons of freshwater a minute, or roughly 14,000 of freshwater each day.”
The above figure assumes the sun is shinning 23 hours a day: in reality solar only works well for about 8 hours a day. So, in reality, it’s going to take about a 20,000 square foot unit for 14,000 gallons a day. For an acre foot of water per day then, it will take a 47,000 square foot system.
The Carlsbad plant will produce 46,000 acre feet per day, which means the solar system will require 2,162,000,000 square feet of installation of panels, or 274 square miles of solar panels to equal the $1 billion Carlsbad plant. Anybody want to guess how many trillions of dollars it would cost to build 274 square miles of solar panels?
Great if it is affordable. But I predict some three striped mud snail will be found in a runoff ditch and the enirostatists will shut it down.
We have 50 year old technology called nuclear power. We also have thousands of years old called reservoirs and canals.
As opposed too...?
bflr
if it’s solar powered how can it run in 24 hour mode?
Solar plant running 24 hours a day when in commercial mode.
Neat trick.
I proposed a desalt process using freezing slurries as part of a senior project some forty years ago. Nobody wants to do it because the can steal water from northern California. The only time those in the desert want to pay attention is when they are truly out of water....
If southern Californians wouldn’t hose down their driveways and wouldn’t fill all those swim pools they would have enough water to drink and bathe (not necessarily enough to grow an oasis in the desert)
Wanna bet the EPA will give a thumbs down to this? It would make food control harder for obama.