UAE plans to drag an ICEBERG from Antarctica to provide drinking water

[kirch]

UAE plans to drag an ICEBERG from Antarctica to provide drinking water for millions

    The UAE is at serious risk of droughts over the next 25 years due to its climate
    One iceberg could provide enough for one million people over five years
    An eco-firm plans to tow them around 5,500 miles (8,800 km) to harvest water


https://twitter.com/i/moments/860507911692451840

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[PeterTheGrape]

UAE plans to drag an ICEBERG from Antarctica to provide drinking water for millions

    The UAE is at serious risk of droughts over the next 25 years due to its climate
    One iceberg could provide enough for one million people over five years
    An eco-firm plans to tow them around 5,500 miles (8,800 km) to harvest water


https://twitter.com/i/moments/860507911692451840

Towing icebergs for water has been talked about for at least 30 years. Aside from the drag in the water, if you want to tow it against a natural current you are going to need to buy some opec oil. Desalination and other options are probably smarter.

[Sithara007]

How practical is this? By the time the iceberg reaches the UAE, 90% of it will be molten and lost. A better idea would have been to install desalination plants, using water from the Persian Gulf.

[PeterTheGrape]

How practical is this? By the time the iceberg reaches the UAE, 90% of it will be molten and lost. A better idea would have been to install desalination plants, using water from the Persian Gulf.

They would probably put some plastic around the iceberg to reduce drag in the water.

Desalination does seem more practical. There are camper desalination set ups a person can make to evaporate small amounts of water, but considering the climate there it would probably be feasible to make a huge solar desalination plant that used no fossil fuels and produced a lot of water. If you could condense 20% of evaporated seawater just using solar heat and natural cooling at night, a square mile could make a lot of water.

[HabBear]

How practical is this? By the time the iceberg reaches the UAE, 90% of it will be molten and lost. A better idea would have been to install desalination plants, using water from the Persian Gulf.

Absolutely!

The primary barrier to cities or countries using desalinization plants is the cost and we all know the UAE has no shortage of cash on hand. What a silly idea. The article does say that it's an ecofirm's idea...not the UAE Royal Family...perhaps this firm plans to drag the iceberg to the shores of Abu Dhabi and sell blocks of it from the port?! HAHA.

[freedomno1]

UAE plans to drag an ICEBERG from Antarctica to provide drinking water for millions

    The UAE is at serious risk of droughts over the next 25 years due to its climate
    One iceberg could provide enough for one million people over five years
    An eco-firm plans to tow them around 5,500 miles (8,800 km) to harvest water


https://twitter.com/i/moments/860507911692451840

They would need quite the plastic bag to retain the water and to reduce the amount of evaporation and amount of salt it would acquire on the way back not even including melting.
And perhaps a nice fleet of pumps to collect the melting water into storage tankers (Hopefully clean tankers not ones that transported oil in them)

Or you know they could always build a pipeline to Syria stabilize the country and access Gaddafi's man-made river aquifer.
But na.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Man-Made_River
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nubian_Sandstone_Aquifer_System

[Sithara007]

How practical is this? By the time the iceberg reaches the UAE, 90% of it will be molten and lost. A better idea would have been to install desalination plants, using water from the Persian Gulf.

They would probably put some plastic around the iceberg to reduce drag in the water.

Desalination does seem more practical. There are camper desalination set ups a person can make to evaporate small amounts of water, but considering the climate there it would probably be feasible to make a huge solar desalination plant that used no fossil fuels and produced a lot of water. If you could condense 20% of evaporated seawater just using solar heat and natural cooling at night, a square mile could make a lot of water.

From where they are going to get plastic sheets, which are that big? Also, even if they bring the iceberg to the United Arab Emirates, what will they do for the further purification of the water? Icebergs are not 100% free from contaminants.

[Masha Sha]

I am curious to know the energy cost per gallon of drinkeable water there and it's evolution. What would be great is a system low in maintenance and with renewable energy to desalinate and make the desert green. Anyway if they can't make it with their wealth what will happen with the billions new births coming from the sand... their mothers all planned to send them to europe and make it a desert?



When will muslims dominated nations start to show PUBLICLY and OFFICIALLY a path to solve the general MUSLIMS over population ? or CHINA will have to solve it, btw there are already lot of protocols being discusses. Europeons maybe too dumbdown, cowards, hypocritical to understand demographic warfare... or bent on exploiting the chaos...

[freedomno1]

I am curious to know the energy cost per gallon of drinkeable water there and it's evolution. What would be great is a system low in maintenance and with renewable energy to desalinate and make the desert green. Anyway if they can't make it with their wealth what will happen with the billions new births coming from the sand... their mothers all planned to send them to europe and make it a desert?

Alas we are not yet in the Star Wars Era where we can get water from the atmosphere like vaporators.
That said they are trying though although I do like the Islamic way to preserve ice in the olden days although I doubt they could make a Yakhchal that big, would be quite the achievement.

http://theconversation.com/new-technology-brings-star-wars-style-desert-moisture-farming-a-step-closer-76183
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yakhch%C4%81l

[Masha Sha]

I am curious to know the energy cost per gallon of drinkeable water there and it's evolution. What would be great is a system low in maintenance and with renewable energy to desalinate and make the desert green. Anyway if they can't make it with their wealth what will happen with the billions new births coming from the sand... their mothers all planned to send them to europe and make it a desert?

Alas we are not yet in the Star Wars Era where we can get water from the atmosphere like vaporators.
That said they are trying though although I do like the Islamic way to preserve ice in the olden days although I doubt they could make a Yakhchal that big, would be quite the achievement.

http://theconversation.com/new-technology-brings-star-wars-style-desert-moisture-farming-a-step-closer-76183
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yakhch%C4%81l

LoL it's called a dehumidifier, it's from the Dune saga, it's very old tech... just need energy. And btw uae is by the sea... so it's more salt removal but you are right to think about local inland prod too.



Btw the humidity doesn't vanish but get in a container... that needs to be emptied.

[freedomno1]

I am curious to know the energy cost per gallon of drinkeable water there and it's evolution. What would be great is a system low in maintenance and with renewable energy to desalinate and make the desert green. Anyway if they can't make it with their wealth what will happen with the billions new births coming from the sand... their mothers all planned to send them to europe and make it a desert?

Alas we are not yet in the Star Wars Era where we can get water from the atmosphere like vaporators.
That said they are trying though although I do like the Islamic way to preserve ice in the olden days although I doubt they could make a Yakhchal that big, would be quite the achievement.

http://theconversation.com/new-technology-brings-star-wars-style-desert-moisture-farming-a-step-closer-76183
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yakhch%C4%81l

LoL it's called a dehumidifier, it's from the Dune saga, it's very old tech... just need energy. And btw uae is by the sea... so it's more salt removal but you are right to think about local inland prod too.

Well without using electricity  
Just a metal-organic frameworks powered by natural sunlight.
I mean I know they got the oil and all but it seems a bit like a waste unless they were using Bitcoin miners in a bloody hot country then using the heat difference to make water he-he.
Or I guess they could solar power it
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/news/saudi-arabia-oil-revenue-production-solar-power-shift-electricity-energy-opec-a7488626.html

[Masha Sha]

I am curious to know the energy cost per gallon of drinkeable water there and it's evolution. What would be great is a system low in maintenance and with renewable energy to desalinate and make the desert green. Anyway if they can't make it with their wealth what will happen with the billions new births coming from the sand... their mothers all planned to send them to europe and make it a desert?

Alas we are not yet in the Star Wars Era where we can get water from the atmosphere like vaporators.
That said they are trying though although I do like the Islamic way to preserve ice in the olden days although I doubt they could make a Yakhchal that big, would be quite the achievement.

http://theconversation.com/new-technology-brings-star-wars-style-desert-moisture-farming-a-step-closer-76183
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yakhch%C4%81l

LoL it's called a dehumidifier, it's from the Dune saga, it's very old tech... just need energy. And btw uae is by the sea... so it's more salt removal but you are right to think about local inland prod too.

Well without using electricity  
Just a metal-organic frameworks powered by natural sunlight.
I mean I know they got the oil and all but it seems a bit like a waste unless they were using Bitcoin miners in a bloody hot country then using the heat difference to make water he-he.
Or I guess they could solar power it
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/news/saudi-arabia-oil-revenue-production-solar-power-shift-electricity-energy-opec-a7488626.html

Heheh! Without electricity, in large scale and zero maintenance would be great!! Water abundance through a wide variety of solution is the only way to go... as the breeding is exponential...

Sorry for the humidifier thing, but in this Forum, there are people with vastly diverse background and horizon... .

Evaporating sea water with bitcoin miners...

[freedomno1]

Heheh! Without electricity, in large scale and zero maintenance would be great!! Water abundance through a wide variety of solution is the only way to go... as the breeding is exponential...

Sorry for the humidifier thing, but in this Forum, there are people with vastly diverse background and horizon... .

Evaporating sea water with bitcoin miners...

No worries I miss the sarcasm in the forum we had some real characters back in the day this is pretty tame in comparison. Well I guess there are still a few around ha-ha.

Evaporating Sea Water with Bitcoin miners then selling the salt then taking the water for drinking would be pretty hardcore. Then again when there are proposals to drag icebergs to the country to provide water we definitely have one heck of a wide horizon 

I was thinking along the lines of an underground facility like some in Shenzen.
In Saudi Arabia they may have supply issues though acquiring the most efficient miners, another example is Bitmain which sent miners to Newfoundland as electricity costs are low and the climate is cold.

The problem in Saudi Arabia is the heat so they need a liquid cooling system which makes mining close to supply of miners China and Shenzhen ideal or cold climates and low cost electricity where the full capacity of the electric system is not being fully utilized Newfoundland ideal locations. Although Saudi Arabia has tempting electricity rates.
(Of course using salt water would be corrosive to the equipment so they would just need to vent the heat and recycle the clean evaporated water to feed the cooling that would be an advanced system excess water then becomes drinking water I guess.)
Costly but still seems cheaper than dragging an iceberg....

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/newfoundland-labrador/data-storage-bitcoins-western-labrador-1.3694238
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K8kua5B5K3I
https://www.quora.com/Why-hasnt-anyone-started-mining-bitcoins-in-Saudi-Arabia-or-Kuwait-if-1-kilowatt-hour-of-electricity-costs-0-01

[Masha Sha]

Shenzen is hot, see harbin for artic taste:)

Selling slat... for eat and sea water like nuke plants with a salt water / fluid for asics heat echangers.

When water has more value than oil...

Another idea along the red sea coast of ksa is solar panels and windturbines pumping sea water in to dams... using evaporation there to get a part of fresh  and with the energy desalinate close to sea... i don't understand why it isn't already being built...

[GreenBits]

UAE plans to drag an ICEBERG from Antarctica to provide drinking water for millions

    The UAE is at serious risk of droughts over the next 25 years due to its climate
    One iceberg could provide enough for one million people over five years
    An eco-firm plans to tow them around 5,500 miles (8,800 km) to harvest water


https://twitter.com/i/moments/860507911692451840

Towing icebergs for water has been talked about for at least 30 years. Aside from the drag in the water, if you want to tow it against a natural current you are going to need to buy some opec oil. Desalination and other options are probably smarter.

Right?! It seems immediately obvious that moving something as heavy as water. Better to refine said water in place. Besides the petrochemicals required to schlep this giant fucker, they are going to have to encapsulate it, possibly in a temperature regulated environment, or it would just melt. Because I'm assuming towing means dragging through the water; it WILL start to melt once it reaches warmer waters/ air currents.

Maybe I'm not understanding what they are trying to do here. This seems not so bright.

[Sithara007]

Just plain unbelievable. So according to this trend, the total population will be somewhere around 100 million and 200 million by 2040. Please remember that this is a country having not enough water and food resources. Why can't these people practice some family planning? Also, what will happen once the oil money runs out?

[LLec]

Well if they can make an island out of nothing but piling sand in the ocean
then they can most certainly displace an iceberg from the arctic.
They have the money from oil investments and actually owning it to be able to do anything possible in this world.

[kpcian]

Renewable energy is one of the main sources of energy, the process of getting energy from this source is easy but it needs heavy installment cost. It brings low amount of energy and less capacity of storing it. So the technology should be created regarding more storage capacity of renewable energy.

[Mometaskers]

This is just quite wasteful. Obviously the ice would just melt. Even if they enclose it in plastic, they'd still have to use oil for the ships.  Not to mention, these desert dwellers have not yet seen an Antarctic winter. Summer is not the best time to go around towing ice.

Just plain unbelievable. So according to this trend, the total population will be somewhere around 100 million and 200 million by 2040. Please remember that this is a country having not enough water and food resources. Why can't these people practice some family planning? Also, what will happen once the oil money runs out?

I believe someone once said that their women's (aka baby makers) wombs are their weapon and with it they'll conquer the infidels. Well, good luck when the weapon is turned against them. Even if they outbred Europeans they wouldn't be able to keep the place in order.

[Alexzap]

This idea is not new. I don't remember who but did. In fact, the desalination of water is a very expensive technology, requiring large expenditures of energy. Given that the Arabs water more expensive than beer, I think that the delivery of the iceberg is perfectly acceptable.