Perspectives on Desalination Energy Use and Greenhouse Gas Reduction

The energy requirement of seawater desalination is a key issue faced by water utilities that are interested in evaluating desalination as a source of potable water. To understand the amount of energy required to operate a proposed desalination facility, it may be helpful to consider the facility?s energy use in terms of more familiar residential and community uses. The energy use also can be converted into indirect greenhouse gas emissions to understand the amount of emissions that may need to be offset for a salination project to meet regulatory and community goals. This report discusses the proposed scwd2 Regional Seawater Desalination Project in Santa Cruz, California, and summarizes findings from the project?s Energy Minimization and Greenhouse Gas Reduction Study.