NetNews Usenet Archive 1992 #27/NN_1992_27.iso/spool/sci/energy/5615

Internet Message Format | 1992-11-19 | 1.6 KB

Xref: sparky sci.energy:5615 sci.environment:12885 talk.environment:4685
Newsgroups: sci.energy,sci.environment,talk.environment
Path: sparky!uunet!munnari.oz.au!metro!ipso!runxtsa!peterb
From: [e-mail] (Peter Barker)
Subject: Re: Request: info on desalination and solar energy
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
Organization: RUNX Un*x Timeshare.  Sydney, Australia.
References: <[e-mail]> <[e-mail]> <[e-mail]>
Date: Fri, 20 Nov 92 00:05:10 GMT
Lines: 25

In article <[e-mail]> [e-mail] (Ian D. Gay) writes:
>[e-mail] (Luke Nosek) writes:
>
>
>> Yikes! are you sure that it would be feasable to desalinate water
>>with solar energy? I heard that they are making desalination plants in the
>>middle east now - and the reason that they can afford it is because oil is
>>dirt cheap over there - IT TAKES A LOT OF ENERGY TO REMOVE THE SALT FROM
>>SEAWATER - more than the sun could provide unless there were some sort of
>>technological miracle in solar energy.
>
>
>Why do you think rain is fresh water?

I believe the most economic way to make fresh water from seawater is to use
reverse osmosis. I don't have any details, but I have heard of suggestions
to use wind power (which is solar power) to operate the pumps needed
for reverse osmosis via a direct mecahanical link. Presumably a vertical
axis windmill would be easiest to couple into a pump at ground level.

--
Peter Barker               |  Internet   [e-mail]
Pegranka Consultants P/L   |
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