Impact of socio-economic growth on desalination in the US

• Published in: Journal of environmental management 2016-02, Vol.167, p.15-22
• Main Authors: Ziolkowska, Jadwiga R., Reyes, Reuben
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Desalination; Econometrics; Economic Development; Economic growth; Gross Domestic Product - statistics & numerical data; Humans; Industry - economics; Macro-economic analysis; Models, Econometric; Population Growth; Time series analysis; United States; Water management; Water Purification - methods; Water Purification - statistics & numerical data; Water Supply - economics
• ISSN: 0301-4797; 1095-8630
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2015.11.013

In 2013, around 1336 desalination plants in the United States (US) provided purified water mainly to municipalities, the industry sector and for power generation. In 2013 alone, ∼200 million m3 of water were desalinated; the amount that could satisfy annual municipal water consumption of more than 1.5 million people in the US. Desalination has proven to be a reliable water supply source in many countries around the world, with the total global desalination capacity of ∼60 million m3/day in 2013. Desalination has been used to mitigate water scarcity and lessen the pressure on water resources. Currently, data and information about desalination are still limited, while extensive socio-economic analyses are missing. This paper presents an econometric model to fill this gap. It evaluates the impact of selected socio-economic variables on desalination development in the US in the time span 1970–2013. The results show that the GDP and population growth have significantly impacted the desalination sector over the analyzed time period. The insights into the economics of desalination provided with this paper can be used to further evaluate cost-effectiveness of desalination both in the US and in other countries around the world. •Desalination in the US has been affected by GDP and population in 1970–2013.•Crude oil prices and water withdrawals had no significant impact on desalination.•Desalination capacity in the US increased up to ∼4.9 million m3/day in 2013.•Municipal and industrial desalination had the highest growth rate in 1950–2013.