Science Questions

Could we collect steam from power plants as fresh water?

With the water crisis we’ve got in bits of Africa, with all these areas having some sort of energy plant, why not use the steam that could come off the system to produce turbines? Why not actually replace the fresh water with salt water and the excess vapor could then be collected and sold in the way that you’re doing it? Timothy Hide, via email

We put this question to Charlie Paton:

Well that’s essentially what we’re talking about [with Sea Water Greenhouse].  Yes.  Exactly, that’s the same thing.

June 2009