In a world increasingly shaped by climate extremes, a reliable source of clean drinking water is no longer something Europe can take for granted. Across England, rising reports of sewage-contaminated water have driven concern — and in some areas, a quiet return to bottled water. In France, especially in parts of the south and rural north, the official line is often the same: don’t drink from the tap.
The consequences are clear. Reliance on bottled water has a significant environmental footprint — from the production and disposal of plastic, to the energy used in transportation and refrigeration. Microplastics, too, are an escalating health concern. Yet against this backdrop, the idea of using seawater to produce drinking water — desalination — still carries an air of desperation in British and French policy circles. Too expensive, too energy-intensive, too southern.
But a new peer-reviewed study from the Philippines, published in Cleaner Engineering and Technology (2024), challenges that assumption. While focused on Southeast Asia, the research offers valuable insights that may change how colder, wetter nations think about water — and energy.
What the Study Shows
The authors modelled a range of renewable-powered desalination systems for small island communities in the Philippines. Using rigorous techno-economic analysis, they found that solar-powered reverse osmosis plants — especially those paired with wind and battery systems — could produce potable water at a cost competitive with trucked-in supplies, even in remote off-grid settings.
Key findings include:
- A levelised cost of water (LCOW) of USD 1.25–1.85 per cubic metre, depending on configuration — well within affordability thresholds for rural communities.
- CO₂ emissions significantly lower than diesel-based systems.
- Systems designed to match seasonal solar and wind patterns were particularly effective, even in cyclone-prone areas.
While the Philippine context differs — smaller islands, greater isolation — the real value of the study lies in its demonstration that renewable-powered desalination is no longer a luxury. When paired with modern energy storage and intelligent demand management, it becomes a viable tool for resilient, decentralised water supply.
What This Means for Britain
Britain, famously surrounded by water, has long ignored desalination as a serious strategy — with the exception of the Thames Gateway plant, which was mothballed for years. But the status quo is becoming unsustainable. Treated effluent now regularly exceeds environmental thresholds. Climate-driven droughts are more frequent. And bottled water sales — with their known environmental harms — are quietly rising.
Desalination, powered by solar and offshore wind, could offer a strategic backup for urban areas and a primary supply for coastal or island communities in Scotland and Wales. Critically, unlike centralised treatment plants, modular desalination systems could be deployed locally, improving both resilience and accountability.
True, the UK lacks the solar resource of the Philippines. But it has abundant wind, especially offshore. Hybrid systems — much like those modelled in the study — can be adapted to suit northern conditions, with wind playing a dominant role in winter, and batteries bridging seasonal gaps.
The public health case is strong too. Unlike bottled water, desalinated water carries no microplastic or PFAS contamination — a growing concern in European water studies. And with European renewables reaching record levels, the carbon cost per litre is shrinking year on year.
And for France?
France presents a different, but no less urgent, case. Rural and peri-urban areas — particularly in the south and northeast — often rely on ageing infrastructure. Tap water advisories are common. Moreover, France already leads Europe in decentralised solar adoption, which could easily be integrated with community-scale desalination.
The same study from the Philippines can be read as a proof-of-concept: that it is both technically feasible and financially defensible to build drinking water systems powered entirely by renewables — even in dispersed, resource-constrained communities. What’s missing in Europe is not the technology, but the political will to treat water as the strategic resource it is.
The Bigger Picture
From a sustainability perspective, the choice is not between desalination and doing nothing — it’s between smart, renewable-powered water systems or continuing to rely on fossil-intensive plastic production and water imports. The environmental and health cost of inaction is mounting.
Europe north of the 49th parallel is not immune to the pressures shaping the Global South. In this sense, the study from the Philippines is not merely a regional exercise. It is a glimpse into a future that is fast arriving — and a reminder that the best solutions are often smaller, smarter, and closer to home than we think.
Source
Evaluating the Feasibility and Sustainability of Renewable Energy Systems for Seawater Reverse Osmosis Desalination Application in Small Island Communities, Results in Engineering, 27 (2025) 106015, 2025-06-27
Boˆreal 