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An Unconventional Desalination Technology Could Solve California's Water Shortage
Business Insider ^ | 03/12/2014 | By Dina Spector

Posted on 03/12/2014 8:25:27 PM PDT by ckilmer

click here to read article


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1 posted on 03/12/2014 8:25:27 PM PDT by ckilmer
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To: ckilmer

$450@acre foot is world class if they can do it in scale.


2 posted on 03/12/2014 8:26:33 PM PDT by ckilmer
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To: ckilmer

Sounds promising, but ... tagline.


3 posted on 03/12/2014 8:32:25 PM PDT by NonValueAdded (Screw the farmers. I can get everything I need at the grocery store.)
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To: ckilmer
mentioned in the article: Sundrop farms--an australian green house operation that uses solar power to desalinate seawater and heat the green house.

News

In the Media

July 2013: ABC’ Gardening Australia visits Sundrop Farms

In the Media

July 2013: ABC Catalyst visits Sundrop Farms

July 2013: Katars Wüste soll Millionen Menschen ernähren

Benjamin Reuter writes for the German magazine Wirtschafts Woche on Sundrop Farms’ participation in Qatar’s mission to become self-sufficient in food production. Full Article

November 2012: Growing Food in the Desert

Miracle in the Desert: Jonathan Margolis, an author and regular Observer contributor, travels to the Australian desert to discover an industrial Garden of Eden. Full Article

4 posted on 03/12/2014 8:32:59 PM PDT by ckilmer
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To: MelonFarmerJ

Of possible interest to you.


5 posted on 03/12/2014 8:33:14 PM PDT by Enterprise ("Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities." Voltaire)
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To: ckilmer

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.


6 posted on 03/12/2014 8:34:37 PM PDT by goldstategop (In Memory Of A Dearly Beloved Friend Who Lives In My Heart Forever)
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To: ckilmer

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?


7 posted on 03/12/2014 8:41:03 PM PDT by Kevmo ("A person's a person, no matter how small" ~Horton Hears a Who)
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To: goldstategop

Don’t forget, Kalifornia is a Communist state. Once the capital is invested and the infrastructure in place, the state will confiscate it “in the interest of the people.”


8 posted on 03/12/2014 8:48:01 PM PDT by Rembrandt (Part of the 51% who pay Federal taxes)
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To: ckilmer

“The lack of water is not just worrying for growers. It affects all people who eat food.”

Why... that’s almost all of ‘em.


9 posted on 03/12/2014 8:59:38 PM PDT by ArmstedFragg (Hoaxey Dopey Changey)
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To: ckilmer
Kept rereading the article to see if I missed something

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?

10 posted on 03/12/2014 9:02:07 PM PDT by stormhill
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To: stormhill

Is it possible it incorporates some sort of thermal storage so that it will keep going at night?


11 posted on 03/12/2014 9:03:38 PM PDT by HiTech RedNeck (Embrace the Lion of Judah and He will roar for you and teach you to roar too. See my page.)
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To: ArmstedFragg

Yes, almost all of them.

A few are breatharians, for a few months anyway.


12 posted on 03/12/2014 9:14:00 PM PDT by Jonty30 (What Islam and secularism have in common is that they are both death cults)
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To: HiTech RedNeck

That’s exactly it. The pipes are filled with salt that heats up during the day and cools at night.


13 posted on 03/12/2014 9:14:59 PM PDT by Jonty30 (What Islam and secularism have in common is that they are both death cults)
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To: Kevmo

such as LENR for cheap desalination
..............
LENR if/when it scales will collapse the cost of desalination.

My favorite energy cost killer is lftr thorium reactors. These have actually had demonstration plants in operation. (40 years ago) If/when they scale up, they’ll pull the cost of electricity down to 1/4-1/10 current cheapest cost coal/natural gas plant electrical generator.

LENR looks to make energy costs even cheaper. Which is great if it happens.

Another form of LENR that looks interesting to me is Dense Plasma Focus. http://bit.ly/1fsf7qb

There’s a couple variants of that.

It does look like there’s more interest/excitement in the LENR world. It stands to reason therefor — that articles from more mainstream publications in the next year or so will do pieces on LENR—as has happened with LFTR thorium reactors in the last two years.

LENR tests are not expensive. The work at MIT look pretty impressive. So it stands to reason there ought to be more big science university/government/corporate labs coming out with corroborating tests in the next year. There should be more scientists popping up with positive results. All you have to do is report them telling everyone ...just the facts mam.

In the end the keys to a successful 21st century are cheap water and cheap energy. It doesn’t really matter just how its done. Just that it gets done.


14 posted on 03/12/2014 9:23:26 PM PDT by ckilmer
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To: ArmstedFragg

I considered becoming a Breatharian for the monetary savings and issues like this thread topic, but I decided to go with something longer term, even though it will be more expensive.


15 posted on 03/12/2014 9:27:31 PM PDT by ansel12 ((Libertarianism offers the transitory concepts and dialogue to move from conservatism, to liberalism)
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To: ckilmer

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).


16 posted on 03/12/2014 9:30:51 PM PDT by JSDude1 (Defeat Hagan, elect a Constutional Conservative: Dr. Greg Brannon!)
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To: ckilmer

In the end the keys to a successful 21st century are cheap water and cheap energy.
***That is my view as well. If it is by way of LFTR, then great. But when I look at the 2 technologies, I vastly favor LENR.


17 posted on 03/12/2014 9:38:40 PM PDT by Kevmo ("A person's a person, no matter how small" ~Horton Hears a Who)
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To: stormhill

“Now, this is a SOLAR plant, right? “

If that’s really true, why is there a Natural Gas regulator and gas train attached to the equipment?


18 posted on 03/12/2014 9:44:19 PM PDT by vette6387
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To: Kevmo
***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.

LENR? You mean Cold Fusion? Yeah, it's all the fault of luddites. You'd think if it were a real technology people would have done it by now. If you can do it, do it.

19 posted on 03/12/2014 9:45:34 PM PDT by Alter Kaker (Gravitation is a theory, not a fact. It should be approached with an open mind...)
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To: Kevmo

I vastly favor LENR.
.....
The promise of LENR is the greater of the two. The reality of LFTR is the greater of the two.

We’ll see. Tables could be turned this year or not.


20 posted on 03/12/2014 9:55:42 PM PDT by ckilmer
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