Funds earmarked for Energy-Water Desalination Hub
Department of Energy (DOE) officials announced last week that $100 million would be set aside for the establishment of an Energy-Water Desalination Hub (Hub) to address the nation’s water security issues.
“Technological achievements generated through the Hub will help us achieve several strategic goals established through the Water Security Grand Challenge announced earlier this year,” Secretary of Energy Rick Perry said. “By focusing research and development efforts on advancing transformational technologies that promote cost-effective desalination, we are working towards meeting the national and global need for secure, affordable water.”
The endeavor will concentrate on processes exploring energy-efficient and cost-competitive desalination technologies, including manufacturing challenges, and treating non-traditional water sources for multiple end-use applications.
Officials said energy and water systems are interconnected, noting energy is required to extract, treat, and deliver water while water is used in multiple phases of energy production and electricity generation, from irrigating crops for biofuels to providing cooling water for thermoelectric power plants.
There are four technical topic areas the Hub will work to achieve in the form of materials research and development, new processes research and development, modeling and simulation tools, and integrated data and analysis.
Earlier this year Perry hosted a White House roundtable discussion exploring the use of prize competitions to drive technological innovation in critical water issues.
