Desalinization in Spain

Spain is gambling on desalinization technology to solve its water problems. In Catalonia alone, 2 new desalinization plants are scheduled to come online within the next 5 years, and the existing plant in Blanes will be significantly enlarged. But desalinization depends on massive infrastructure and huge injections of energy. Where does this energy come from? Largely from fossil fuels, nuclear, some hydro, and even less renewable, such as wind. So desalinization simply shifts the environmental burden onto energy and climate change issues.

At the same time, this raises the stakes for finding a renewable energy source. One could argue, that finding a reliable source of sustainable energy would facilitate water resource management.