Introduction
Each day we see the evidence of the accelerating development in the technologies that serve us. In dozens of different fields from computing power to alloy creation and manipulation, the rate of development is increasing.
Tesla tells us that a “million mile battery” for vehicles is coming. And in that field it has been predicted that at least 30% of vehicles will be at least “hybrids” by 2025. I expect it will be sooner – but in any case a child born today is unlikely to experience refueling their own vehicles at something called a “service station”.
There is a variety of “rate” descriptors – like Moore’s Law that tells us that in essence that computing power doubles every two years. This loops back to assist in speeding development of improvements in almost all manufacturing processes. I expect we will use AI for better welding and alloy production.
One such area of accelerating ability is solar (or renewable) power. Each year the efficiency of the solar panels (and all components of turbines, sails, and whatever tidal and geo-thermal devices use) improves.
National Piped Water Network
What if this expanding technological power was applied to the apparent water shortage in Australia?
A significant portion of Australian food production (and life) is tied to a giant casino game called “rainfall”. Drought can mean you pack your remaining possessions onto your (soon-to-be-repossessed) truck, leave your home, your animals and plants die, and misery reigns for you.
Today I read of a standalone solar desalination plant in Kenya – created by a non-profit called GivePower. This superbly visioned organization built a plant that delivers 75,000 litres of drinking water a day. Safe water is near the top of the list of basic essentials that every person deserves. This plant reduced the salt in the water resources of the area – to make it drinkable. Watch this video for details. Give them a donation.
Our accelerating technology curve has meant that this was possible in outback Kenya. The cost of the plant was $500k, but they expect the cost of future plants to be a fraction of that.
One of my own pet peeves is the massive investment by our government in a submarine defense program. It allows for $50B Australian Dollars for the subs, plus another $50B over the life of the subs for service and maintenance. At a time in history when drones rule, an interesting choice.
I am sure that engineers who read this outline on use of water will radically adjust my numbers, but maybe not the core concept. Let’s do some maths.
One Kenyan solar desal plant produces 75,000 litres per day of drinkable water. Let’s assume the salinity is similar to sea water – and check that later. Cost – $500k. Let’s use Australian dollars as I am sure the cost of this unit in Australia would be much less than in Kenya. I am unaware of annual cost of maintenance or expected life of the equipment.
If we invested $50B in these systems (without even improving them based on scale) – we could afford to have 100,000 of these free standing solar desal plants that each produces 75,000 litres per day.
Do the maths and our daily fresh water output is 7500 million litres (7.5 GIGAlitres). As a reference point for water volume – here in Australia we use Sydney Harbour volume – and this daily production of water is 15% of Sydney Harbour per day.
Here in Townsville, after decades of inaction – $225 million is being spent on 36kms of 1.8m tall water pipes from a nearby gigantic dam to the dry and dusty city. It may transform the area – we will see… But it will insure the city against the “casino” of depending on rainfall each year. If the investment here is a prudent choice – then $50B to begin creation of a National Piped Water Network (NPWN?) is also a viable choice?
If we use up half of our submarine money – and only generate 3.25 GLs of water per day, and use $25B for some pipes and pumps to lift the water over the various mountains, and reduce to much smaller pipe, we could certainly put water into areas where it was not available before. Please see the BOM Drought map above. Some areas are right near the ocean.
With use of steadfast resolution to reduce our weather casino effect – our $50B (Or $100B) investment could deliver a transformative upgrade to at least one lucky zone on that map.
Once completed – that area might potentially multiply it’s contribution to Australia – and for the finance scarcity believers amongst us – would quickly repay the investment.
This process could be repeated at reducing total cost all around the coastlines. With each iteration it would become more efficient, and deliver more value for each billion spent. And with passing months and the ongoing flow of technological improvements – even further value. Perhaps new pipe technology would arrive? Perhaps better panels? Definitely better design. Definitely combination of solar with other renewables to “lift” the water over our amazing mountains. Perhaps we could source water from somewhere in the Northern Territory that did not need desal – and use the funding to pipe and pump it across our “dead centre”?
If we can build a trans-national rail line, we can build a pipe next to it.
Not having any submarines would save another $50B in maintaining them. $100B is a great start. (Less a billion or so in penalties to escape the purchase contract).
Each time we iterate this process – it would generate larger and larger “trans-generational” returns.
I believe it is just a matter of time before ALL land becomes valuable land. Water plus energy plus infrastructure transforms our land of drought and sweeping plains into a very different paradigm.
This does not mean we convert all of our amazing continent into fields of wheat and vineyards. Preservation of our environment will become a higher and higher priority in the coming decades – as the effective financial cost of energy approaches zero.
When energy to clean and lift water is almost free, the investment in infrastructure to capture the energy and to deliver that water becomes more and more obvious. There is no shortage of capital in the world right now (or ever). If we were to deliver just one of these resources, investors would be fighting to participate in the next.
All that stops this NPWN is the lack of vision. The solar desal plant already exists in Kenya. We are surrounded by water. We have the ability to build pipes and solar (or wind or tidal or geo-thermal) pumps – and we would quickly get better at it.
This is not about pumping massive volumes of water up and over the mountain ranges to then be allowed to flow wastefully down our inland waterways. This recognizes that fresh water is an asset not to be squandered. When it is created from sea water, it has a dollar value. It has a delivery cost. Once delivered it should be thoughtfully used and recycled.
In a century from now, the available hindsight will show that the cost of designing and building this piped network is negligible compared to the cost of not doing it. (This applies even if we still get the shiny, new submarines to protect us.)