Environmentalists usually agree that making fresh water from brackish (salty) water is a last resort. Building desalination plants requires millions of dollars in technology, and it\u2019s costly to produce potable water \u2013 both in terms of energy to run the plants and the environmental pollution the factories emit.<\/p>\n
The Israeli company IDE Technologies \u2013 already planning the biggest desalination plant in the United States\u00a0\u2013 is pushing the borders in this domain closer to sustainability in Japan, where it is working to produce floating desalination plants.<\/p>\n
The new approach will breathe new life into Japan\u2019s stagnant shipbuilding business and help the Japanese fulfil short-term freshwater needs, according to Bloomberg News.<\/p>\n
Udi Tirosh, a business development director at IDE, told the business media outlet, \u201cFloating plants will not replace the land-built ones, but floating plants can become an alternative that does not saddle a country with the burden of maintenance once local water tables improve.\u201d This could be welcome news in parched regions of the United States, like California, which is experiencing an historic drought.<\/p>\n