While this is a nice project for emergency and remote uses, what we really need re: desalination in places like California (and other variable / dry climates) is large-scale desalination tied to opportunity power (such as curtailed grid power).
With each passing year there's going to be more and more solar on the grid, and it's going to be hard to soak up that power during the daytime peak. Desalination matches the solar supply curve perfectly: there's more water demand during the day, and there's also more water demand during the summer when there's also more sun. It's the ultimate dispatchable load.
With each passing year there's going to be more and more solar on the grid, and it's going to be hard to soak up that power during the daytime peak. Desalination matches the solar supply curve perfectly: there's more water demand during the day, and there's also more water demand during the summer when there's also more sun. It's the ultimate dispatchable load.