I was talking about water, and how the water industry is different from electrical.

 

Green electricity is a 'want'

Clean water is a 'need'

 

the current water infrastructure in cities is built to allow fire hydrants to put out fires.  The fact that we have potable water going through those pipes (with a 25% leak rate) is just how things are.

 

People don't care about the quality of water, until it comes out of their tap.

 

Everything is grey water.

 

our water is someone else's downstream water.

 

ag is 70% of water usage

industry is 20%

residential is 10%

 

nano-materials use the properties of H20, to reduce the amount of energy needed to filter water.  the use of carbon nanotubes is one angle for technology to change how things are.

 

Plants need fresh water, brackish water is unacceptable.

 

When ice freezes at the poles (ocean ice) it freezes from the top down.  Ice is lighter than sea water (less dense) and even see ice is PURE ICE (only fresh water).

 

What does all this mean?

 

I'm not sure yet, but I hope that the answer is somewhere in that.

 

Put this along side solar thermal desalination, and we might have something.

 

Oh one more thing, thermal desalination using evaporation/condensation means the water rises by heat.  Put it high enough, and then gravity can be used to push the water around and distribute it.