ABSTRACT
The nature and scale of energy consumption and the associated environmental impacts are important factors that will influence growth in the desalination sector and the technologies deployed in the next few decades. Electricity is the key energy carrier, and the sector will increasingly use low-carbon generation in the form of renewable energy and, in those countries where it is available, hydroelectricity and nuclear power via the grid. Water with excess salinity, or brine, is a waste stream that concerns local communities and environmental groups because of potential damage to marine ecosystems. As more information is gathered going forward, the environmental implications of greater desalination deployment will play a more prominent role in the development, or otherwise, of the industry.
