Desalination capacity is expected to grow by 8 per cent annually to 140 million m3/d by 2020, new research shows.
The rise will be driven in part by the demand for drinking water of 203 billion m3/y in the Middle East, and in the Caribbean and Oceania of 80 billion m3/y.
Additionally, forward osmosis coupled with thermal solar could begin to challenge the prevalence of photovoltaic solar and reverse osmosis technology in the future.
The research from emerging technology experts Lux Research evaluated solar and wave powered desalination technologies offered by six start up companies, including SunPower, Wavepiston, and Seatricity.