The bottomless energy-sucking demands of AI data centers have sparked a hair-on-fire moment for the nation’s electricity grid, and that is not the only urgent grid-related issue in need of attention. Seawater desalination is another one of modern life’s great energy suckers, and the need is escalating alongside climate change and population growth among other factors. One solution has surfaced in the form of undersea desalination “pods” that can trim energy use by 40%, among other benefits, and the plan is poised for rapid scaleup.
Desalination And Location, Location, Location
Conventional desalination systems need large amounts of energy to power reverse osmosis systems, in which water is pressed through a membrane. Instead of sourcing that pressure from fuels of various sorts, the California startup OceanWell is leveraging the naturally occurring pressure of deep ocean water. Its pod-like desalination modules are designed for deployment in the ocean at 400 meters (about 1,300 feet).
