Spotted Lanternfly Life Stages

Chinese Solar Technology for Seawater Desalination

 from GoodNewsNetwork.org

New Solar Tech Makes Desalinating Seawater Cheaper Than Producing Bottled Water

By

 Andy Corbley

 -

Jul 2, 2026

By

A team of materials scientists in China have developed a solar-powered device that can produce freshwater from seawater with better economics than bottled water.

By creating a weave of nanomaterials and organic polymers which were both durable and highly reflective, they created a device that could absorb 90.2% of incoming sunlight and use it to evaporate water with 47.5% less energy.

After it generated 5 gallons of fresh water every day for a year of testing, the scientists say that at scale it would be cheaper than producing bottled water.  

It wasn’t a coincidence that after seawater desalination plants were threatened with destruction during the recent war in the Persian Gulf, virtually all belligerents came to the negotiating table.  The some-400 desalination plants located along the Gulf’s shoreline represent most of the world’s R&D into the technology, which for decades has been stuck with an energy-intensive process known as membrane or reverse osmosis desalination.  

A team of materials scientists in China have developed a solar-powered device that can produce freshwater from seawater with better economics than bottled water.  By creating a weave of nanomaterials and organic polymers which were both durable and

Redhorse Sucker Die-off from Warm Water Temperatures

Downstream (below Springfield and Blue Ford Fisherman's access) we're seeing big die-offs of bigger fish (presumably Golden Redhorse suckers). As most will remember from HS chemistry (Henry's Law in particular), colder water holds more gases, in this case oxygen.

Suckers struggle with water temps over 85 degrees and yesterday the Springfield gauge was almost 89oF. Tuber and kayaker passersby here reported seeing 50 or more dead fish. _________________

The Golden Redhorse (Moxostoma erythrurum) is a native North American sucker fish introduced in the Potomac basin from the the Mississippi, Ohio, and Great Lakes basins. Their distinguishing characteristics include its brassy-gold metallic scales, white belly, and orange or slate-gray fins. These suckers typically measure 12–18 inches and weigh 1–2 pounds.

Between Blue Ford and Indian Rock you can sometimes see hundreds, They thrive in the clear, gravel-bottomed streams and rivers of West Virginia's New, Ohio, and Potomac river watersheds.

In the figure below you can see the Native range (ochre/yellow) and that the Potomac is in a non-native range (dark red/maroon).  They have been introduced elsewhere in the U.S. too.

Su2026 Biodiversity Blogs

Adam - Dumbarton Oaks Park
Jack - Shendoah National Park
Dayton - Chincoteague, VA
Allison - Carroll County, VA
Anna - Joyce Kilmer Memorial Forest
Kellen - Florida Yardening
Elizabeth - Cedar Creek and Belle Grove
Marian - Stoney Creek Farm, VA
Brendan - Washington, D.C.
Jim - South Branch Potomac
Alicyn - Harriman State Park
Zach - St. Mary's County
Joe - Nolichucky River
Brooke - Nara Park (Japan)
Christine - Buffalo Mountain
Samantha - York River Basin