Solar-powered distillation is a proven desalination process.

[MineralMan]

It can be scaled up without limits, really. Best thing about it is that the condensation rate can be improved by using cold seawater to cool the condensation components internally to make the process more efficient, while preheating the water before subjecting it to solar heating for evaporation.

Back in the 1980s, I designed a solar desalination unit that worked exactly that way. It was a small-scale device but worked very well. A small pump delivered the seawater through the condensing unit to cool it, and then it was delivered to the evaporation area that was heated by sunlight. Simple. It just flat worked.

[PortTack]

1. Is this like what the Saudis are doing?

A central dome with feeder pipelines...pretty neat

It really would work well for all of the SW.

Got to find a solution to the brine following desalination

[MineralMan]

2. Well, as a waste product, sea-based brine is a lot more

easily dealt with than many other things. It's relatively non-toxic, and could simply be returned to the ocean.

[PortTack]

3. I've seen several studies that indicate the high saline content kills off coral reef and fish

[brush]

4. Is there another use for it on land?

[BootinUp]

6. I'm guessing it could be used by chemical industry

There are natural deposits that must be pretty similar that are used. Just a guess.

[Silent3]

5. Perhaps one merely needs to spread it around better in the ocean...

...rather than dumping it right next to the desalination facility. As long as there's no great local concentration, the effect on overall ocean salinity would be completely negligible.

[brush]

7. That makes sense. If desalt plants are scaled up on coasts...

with barges taking it out to sea. A whole industry could crop up with the plants piping water to drought areas and ocean-going tugs and barges taking the brine out to sea.

Could be a lot of jobs and less dependence on rain for drought areas.

[MineralMan]

8. It would have to be diluted, of course, and

Carefully returned to the ocean.