NISKAYUNA, NY – GE Global Research, the research unit of General Electric Co., is joining forces with Texas Tech University to develop affordable desalination systems to increase the quantity and quality of clean water available in arid regions of the US and other nations, a November 28 press release on Yahoo! Finance said.
The research partnership will focus on integrating renewable energy systems, such as wind turbines, with membrane desalination processes to improve operations and reduce capital costs and energy consumption, the report noted.
Dr. Minesh Shah, project leader for GE Global Research, said in the release that up to 50 percent of the operating costs associated with desalination are derived from energy consumption, adding that the application of wind energy to the process will "allow for a lower-cost desalination system."
The project is part of a GE initiative through which the company has pledged to more than double its level of investment in the development of cleaner energy technologies during the next five years, according to the release.
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