Producing potable water from seawater is an expensive and above all an energy-intensive process. The problem gets even worse in the Gulf region, which accounts for nearly 50 percent of the world’s desalinated water. In the UAE, desalination requires about 10 times more energy than producing freshwater and the costs of the same are expected to rise 300 percent in the coming years, if adequate steps are not taking to make the process of desalinating more environmentally friendly.
UAE-based energy company Masdar has now come up with an eco friendly way to solve the problem by developing technology to desalinate water using renewable energy. Masdar has announced that the firm will test and develop energy efficient seawater desalinating plants that will be powered by renewable energy. After the successful completion of the tests, the firm plans to build a commercial scale desalinating facility by 2020.