[nickparker]

Scrolled pretty far and haven’t seen mention of this:

Water shortages will be entirely solved in the next decade by cheap renewables and desalination.

Clean water can be manufactured, and effectively free electricity will make it dirt cheap

[eru]

Where are we getting the free electricity from?

(I do agree that very cheap electricity means very cheap water.)

[simonebrunozzi]

I doubt it. Last time I checked (~4 years ago), desalinization would cost huge amounts of money: it's not just energy cost, it's infrastructure cost.

[tozeur]

People said the same about solar, but alas like always, innovation kicks in the costs improve. Every piece of tech starts off expensive.

[Loughla]

Is solar affordable now? We had it quoted for our home, and to cover 60-75% of our annual usage, the system cost ~ 20x-28x our annual usage depending on which system we chose, with a life-span of, wait for it, 15 years and warranty of 10.

If it wasn't for heavy, heavy government subsidies in this space (some states match 50-75% of the up-front cost over the course of a year or two), I am not convinced it would be popular, at all, for regular Joe Schmoe.

[arminiusreturns]

Yes, the effeciency rate of solar is what makes it "worth it" or not, and within the last couple of years it has hit a sweet spot where in many to most cases it is "worth" the investment costs. That said, you need to watch out for unscrupulous installers not installing the latest panel tech, or installers who overcharge, etc, and it is preferable to research and utilize all available subsidies you can get your hands on (tax deductions, insurance, local electricity policies, etc).

The tech itself is at the right level now, it's the middle men and bureaucracies or bad rates that are the main problem. Source: family member who has overseen installation and maintenance of many major solar installations.

[dgrin91]

This is the first time I've heard such claims. Can you point to some sources?

[dgb23]

Thank you for sending this hopeful message.

[ohgodplsno]

>effectively free electricity will make it dirt cheap

Effectively free? For a first world country, maybe. But the countries where water shortages are an actual life or death situation already have trouble getting a good enough power grid. Noone is going to show up to a village in the middle of Ghana and install solar panels for free so they can have water. This is a horribly first-world centric point of view.

[wurstfinger]

Funny you should choose Ghana as an example. They have actually overbuilt their power generating capacity in recent years and are looking for ways to fruitfully soak up the excess electricity (e.g. electric vehicles https://cleantechnica.com/2020/07/20/ghana-pushes-for-adopti...)

[christophilus]

> Noone is going to show up to a village in the middle of Ghana and install solar panels for free so they can have water.

There are plenty of organizations who will do exactly that. But I think I agree with the general slant of your comment, which is that much of the world will have to rely on the charity of the developed world to solve this problem for them. That charity is not guaranteed to be timely, effective, or predictable.

[perched_robin]

Aren't there charities doing literally that?

[chordalkeyboard]

Yes, the website hasn't been updated but these guys are constructing a well in Kenya this year.

https://www.globeleadership.com