{"id":14830,"date":"2017-01-30T16:05:43","date_gmt":"2017-01-30T22:05:43","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/energyexchange\/?p=14830"},"modified":"2026-03-13T16:50:51","modified_gmt":"2026-03-13T20:50:51","slug":"lowering-desalinations-energy-footprint-lessons-from-israel","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/energyexchange\/2017\/01\/30\/lowering-desalinations-energy-footprint-lessons-from-israel\/","title":{"rendered":"Lowering Desalination\u2019s Energy Footprint: Lessons from Israel"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Kate Zerrenner and Leon Kaye of Triple Pundit standing in a desalination pipe at Sorek.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

There\u2019s an old expression that whisky is for drinking and water is for fighting over. The Legislative Session is upon us again in Texas, and count on water being an issue, as it always is in this drought and flood-prone state.<\/p>\n

To start, this Session will see the approval of the 2017 State Water Plan (SWP), which is done in five-year cycles. In the five years since the last plan, Texas has gone from the throes of a devastating drought to historic flooding, which resulted in some reservoirs being full for the first time in 15 years.<\/p>\n

Moreover, as more people move to Texas and climate change advances, there will be greater strain on the state\u2019s water supplies. According<\/a> to the SWP, Texas is already in a tighter situation than it was just five years ago: Surface water and groundwater availability will be 5 percent lower in 2060 compared to predictions in the 2012 plan, and existing water supplies are expected to drop by 11 percent between 2020 and 2070. Where are we supposed to get the water we need?<\/p>\n

One place we could look to for ideas is Israel, which relies heavily on desalination \u2013 or the process of removing salt from water \u2013 to meet its needs. During Session, there will likely be calls to implement and fund desalination projects in Texas, which can help ensure water supplies in the future. But we need to take a page from Israel\u2019s book, and create plans and policies that are thoughtful about reducing the technology\u2019s energy footprint.<\/p>\n

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Kate Zerrenner and Leon Kaye of Triple Pundit tasting desalinated water at Sorek.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Cutting desal costs in Israel<\/strong><\/p>\n

Sixty percent of Israel is desert, and the rest is semiarid. (Texas, in comparison, is about 10 percent desert.) The harsh, dry climate means ensuring water supplies is a top priority, and as a result Israel gets up to 75 percent<\/a> of its potable water from desalination. To put that into perspective, the entire state of Texas currently produces about 123 million gallons per day with desalination, or roughly 465,606 cubic meters per day. The Sorek Desalination Plant<\/a> outside Tel Aviv, one of many in the country, alone produces about 624,000 cubic meters per day\/ 164 MGD.<\/p>\n

I recently toured the Sorek plant, the largest desal plant in the world, which provides about 20 percent of Israel\u2019s potable water. One of the things that struck me, other than the sheer size, was how energy was a front-and-center concern. Since desal plants need constant power \u2013 and a lot of it \u2013 energy is by far the most expensive part of running the plant. Groundwater desal is highly energy-intensive, and seawater even more so \u2013 power is estimated at about half<\/a> of seawater desal plants\u2019 entire operating costs.<\/p>\n

Three tactics help ease these costs and maintain plant reliability:<\/p>\n