Summary: For a long time, those with unstable water supplies have suffered, especially those nearby a huge mass of water that is undrinkable to them as is. It takes a lot of energy to squeeze drinkable water from salt water. Although 70 percent of the earth is water, most people rely on the one percent of the world's water that is unfrozen and fresh. Water-starved nations around the world are aiming to fuel a new desalination process, with an abundant resource- the Sun. One such area exploring these water cleaning possibilities is Texas. For years, we have talked about tapping into the Gulf's water resources, especially in 2011, when Texas experienced its worst one-year water drought. So far, only the city of Seminole has a small demonstration project at the National Wind Institute at Texas Tech University. If the idea is to go anywhere, there needs to be more research.
Analysis: This is a very interesting concept that could help lower the cost of desalination, and get more water to people worldwide, especially those parts of the world that are poorer, but near the sea. This is a world history issue because water resources have been a global concern throughout history. Hopefully researchers will continue to develop ideas like this one so that things like water availability increase in our society.
Source: http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/energy/2015/02/150202-energy-news-renewable-salt-water-drought/
I agree, it's amazing how technology can be used to fix a global problem that has been existent for centuries. Most major cities are found by water sources for trade, transportation, and water! Inventions like these could have endless possibilities.
ReplyDelete