PV Gap

Christina Said:

Could solar-powered desalination plants help meet the demand for fresh water?

We Answered:

No, at least not using photo voltaic panels.

Desalination requires a lot of energy, you would need a huge solar array to generate enough power. Dubai, for example, has a focil fuel power plant devoted to each of it's desalination plants.

Though you could use mirrors and heat as part of the process but only if you lived in a very hot country with lots of direct sunlight (Saudi, for example, but not Europe).

Neil Said:

If Australia has a water shortage can they not use desalination like they do in Malta?

We Answered:

I live in australia and deslanisation was considered but there are very few places to build something as large as a desalinization plant and in that town the people protested against it and won in part because the gov't had screwed them over with infustructure before

right now the most sensible option is recycling water which is already done in some place but people dont seem to want to drink recycled efluence..personally i would rather drink that than die of thirst

also with the farmers isolation is a big problem farmers are starting to commit suicide over it..things are being done to get water to them and charities for them have been set up but if i can remember correctly they regrejected a gov't proposal to build them irrigation for whatever reason

and solar power is also being set up the town i live in is actually planned to be the first to be solar powered

Troy Said:

Would setting up sea water desalination plants globally help to reduce rising sea levels from global warming?

We Answered:

You raise a number of issues in the additional details that you added.

First: Desalination plants will not reduce sea levels because the water that is desalinated and used will eventually return to the sea.

Desalination is an excellent way to provide fresh water provided the source of the energy is low enough in cost.

With respect to energy sources: some that you mentioned are low cost, but some are also extremely high cost.

For example electricity generated by wind power has a cost of production of about 4 cents per kilowatt hour. The electricity generated by wind power can be used to provide the energy for reverse osmosis or vacuum distillation.

Unfortunately electricity generated by solar photovoltaic cells is very expensive because the capital cost of solar photovoltaic cells is very high. The cost to produce electricity by solar photovoltaic cells is over 40 cents per kilowat hour and is not cost effective for the purpose of desalinazitaion of water.

From a cost standpoint, It makes far more sense to use wind power rather than solar photovoltaic cells to produce the electricity for desalination of water.

With respect to Global Warming there is an enormous amount of hype in the popular media with respect to Global Warming.

Although the scientific literature does show that there is some Global Warming, the popular media has exaggerated the effects of Global Warming to a ridiculous extent.

Global Warming will not produce catastrophic effects. But it will produce some effects.

For example:

It is likely that Global Warming will reduce rainfall in some areas of the world.

Desalination of water will be very helpful to make up for the resuction in rainfall.

Also as our world population continues to grow at the rapid rate that it is growing there will be more demand for fresh water.

Desalination will be a very important tool to meet that increased demand.

.

Eleanor Said:

dry land salinity and desalination plant?

We Answered:

Of course. But don't confuse viable with economical. Australia currently has a larger population than can be supported by their environment. Reverse osmosis water is very easy to do, especially with solar power. It's just going to cost a lot of money.

Terry Said:

Can someone name me a solar power situation in the world right now?

We Answered:

My advice to you would be to learn better grammar. Your question does not make sense and your example is too indecisive and has nothing to do with solar power. Your teacher will fail you on your sentence structure alone.