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0 pointsbluefirebrand10mo ago0 comments

Water we have plenty of. We can desalinate as much as we need to

0 comments

Build subsurface wells and responsible brine dispersion infrastructure then come back and tell me we can desalinate as much as we need to.

HPsquared10mo ago

If you put the brine back into the sea, and later put the waste water back into the same sea, doesn't it balance out? Also, the sea is pretty big.

jasonjayr10mo ago

Perhaps, but locally, the higher brine concentration will cause issues.

NewJazz10mo ago

Yes, hence my use of the word "dispersion". Over a wide enough area, the brine shouldn't have a noticeable impact on sea life. But concentrated release can be really damaging.

aredox10mo ago

Nuclear reactors regularly shut down because the water from the nearby river is already too hot.

https://www.euronews.com/2025/07/02/france-and-switzerland-s...

cbsmith10mo ago

Yeah, but you need energy to desalinate so...

HPsquared10mo ago

How does it compare to ~3000 L/MWh? I assume it's a rounding error.

edit: Desalination uses 4 kWh per cubic metre of water. That is, it would yield 250,000 L/MWh.

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0 comments

NewJazz10mo ago

Build subsurface wells and responsible brine dispersion infrastructure then come back and tell me we can desalinate as much as we need to.

HPsquared10mo ago

If you put the brine back into the sea, and later put the waste water back into the same sea, doesn't it balance out? Also, the sea is pretty big.

jasonjayr10mo ago

Perhaps, but locally, the higher brine concentration will cause issues.

NewJazz10mo ago

Yes, hence my use of the word "dispersion". Over a wide enough area, the brine shouldn't have a noticeable impact on sea life. But concentrated release can be really damaging.

aredox10mo ago

Nuclear reactors regularly shut down because the water from the nearby river is already too hot.

https://www.euronews.com/2025/07/02/france-and-switzerland-s...

cbsmith10mo ago

Yeah, but you need energy to desalinate so...

HPsquared10mo ago

How does it compare to ~3000 L/MWh? I assume it's a rounding error.

edit: Desalination uses 4 kWh per cubic metre of water. That is, it would yield 250,000 L/MWh.

j / k navigate · click thread line to collapse