[ghshephard]

I find it interesting that the cost of water is pretty close to the cost of Desalination. 1 acre foot = 1233 m^3. Hyflux has contracts [1] in Singapore (on a multi-year committed contract at volume) back in 2011 for Desalinated water at $0.45/m^3 or $554/acre foot, which is roughly where the spot market right now is for water.

I wouldn't gave guessed they would be that close, but it bodes very well for inexpensive energy / improvements in desalination technology being a source of water.

[1] https://www.eco-business.com/news/hyflux-to-produce-worlds-c...

[paledot]

I don't think this is a coincidence. Salt water, after all, is present in effectively unlimited quantities in many of the world's major cities. If the price of desalination drops, competition (in an imaginary world) will drive down the price of desalinated water in lockstep with it.

Interestingly, there is a theoretical floor to the amount of energy invested per unit of water desalinated, and we're apparently quite close to it. From here, our best hopes for improvement are to use waste heat or solar thermal energy to desalinate water.

[sneak]

As you point out (“inexpensive energy”), if fusion ever gets to be less than “10-20 years away” :D then the crazy concept of water shortages will thankfully be a thing of the past. I hope to see it in my lifetime.