And they push electric vehicles as the solution to clean energy, yet the electricity to fuel those EVs comes primarily from coal and natural gas. I’ve been amazed at how our “leaders” like to talk about clean energy and sustainability, while at the same time increasing the use of a dirty fuel like coal to 25% of all electricity production in the U.S. “Micro-irrigation” technology can water plants right at their roots, which uses as much as 50% less water than traditional sprinkler irrigation.ĭonny, I share your concerns. There are also some things that can be done to reduce overall water consumption, especially in agriculture. There is also promising work being done to use the power of ocean waves to turn salt water into safe drinking water. This isn’t anywhere near as efficient as something that would be powered by a nuclear fusion reactor… but it would work, just not at the scale that is required.
And San Diego’s Carlsbad plant does make use of solar power rather than fossil fuels. I have written before about some research out of MIT that operates using solar power. This would be the most efficient and clean way to solve the problem. In a perfect world, I would prefer to power desalinization plants with 100% clean energy like that of nuclear fission or nuclear fusion (preferably fusion as there are little to no radioactive byproducts). could not achieve something similar, so your instincts are absolutely correct. These are amazing achievements for a desert country – and they have proven to be highly effective. Having established 230 reservoirs that are used to store treated wastewater, they provide around 260 million cubic meters of water for the agricultural sector. Israel has also been smart in how it manages its wastewater. With all seven plants operational, desalinated water will provide up to 90% of all of Israel’s municipal and industrial water needs. And two more plants will be operational by 2023, bringing online another 300 million cubic meters of water a year. Israel built five desalinization plans over the last two decades, producing around 600 million cubic meters of water a year. is doing nothing about it.Ī great example is what has been done in Israel, which is leading the world in desalinization technology. Water sources such as the Colorado River, the Owens Valley, and the Bay Delta are severely overtaxed.Īnd you’re spot on, the technology exists to build desalinization plants to help alleviate this problem, yet the U.S. is a complex issue that desperately needs innovative solutions.īetween the population that lives in those regions, and agricultural use, many states simply don’t have enough water to go around. I would like to know why our leaders in this country are not looking at desalination plants along our Pacific Coast to help remedy the ongoing drought situation in the Western USA.Īlso why we don’t build penstocks and subterranean aqueducts to mitigate annual flooding along the Mississippi River and throughout the Eastern Seaboard and Gulf states? They could deliver the water to the West and Southwest as potable water, irrigation, as well as hydroelectric generation.
Let’s begin with a question on how to address the drought… There’s one key investment class that is thriving right now – no matter what the stock market does.Īnd if you have a question you’d like answered next week, please be sure you submit it right here. That’s why I recorded the following video to offer some of my thoughts on how to weather this volatility… survive inflation… and even grow our investment portfolios in a bear market. Uncertainty about a possible recession – and further rate hikes – has kept us all on our toes as we try to preserve our capital and generate a return these days. They aren’t functioning normally – and inflation is making matters worse. Today, I’ll do my best to answer them.īut before we turn to today’s questions, I first wanted to share a short video message with readers. All week, you submitted your questions about the biggest trends in technology. Welcome to our weekly mailbag edition of The Bleeding Edge. The downsides of this “voice” technology… My thoughts on “Ensuring Responsible Development of Digital Assets”… How can we remedy the drought in the West?