Is this a global solution for the billions without access to potable or sanitized water? Can desalination be done in a way that is minimizes harm to the ocean and that uses clean energy to run its operations? Desalination is currently used in the United States, Australia, Middle East, North Africa and China. However, it is not the silver bullet when it comes to providing potable water or that used for agriculture and industrial processes — solutions that also entail conservation and the treatment of wastewater.

“We need to know we will always have an uninterruptible source of water at an affordable price,” says Gilad Cohen, chief executive of IDE Americas, which is the technology provider at the Carlsbad and Santa Barbara plants, in an interview. “Sometimes we need to accept the risks while balancing it with the impact of not having enough water.

 
“The technology is ready,” he adds. "California is working on more desalination, water re-use and conservation.”

As for the Santa Barbara plant, it will produce nearly 3 million gallons of water a day, or 30% of the city’s demand. The developers are taking apart an old desalination unit and putting a new one in its place, for an added $70 million.

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