Cynthia Mitchell – Planning Energy Use, Desalination, Future Challenges, Sustainability
Cynthia Mitchell – Planning Energy Use, Desalination, Future Challenges, Sustainability
When comparing the costs and benefits of desalination versus water recycling, many factors need to be considered. The energy cost of desalination is decreasing. There are a range of values in wastewater and considering the range of resources that can be recovered from wastewater, not just the water.
Perhaps in the longer term, we need to a range of qualities of water fit for a variety of purposes. Water could be distributed at a lower quality with ‘point of use’ filters. The uses for water may change over time. For instance, cities may need more water for cooling to combat the urban heat island effect. [05:47]