Water Technology
Water Scarcity & Desalination
Water scarcity and desalination technology entered its fastest growth phase in history in 2026, with installed desalination capacity up 40% since 2020 and the global desalination market estimated at $20.76-23.89 billion in 2026, projected to reach $38-58 billion by the early 2030s as climate change and urban water scarcity drive demand. Reverse osmosis remains the dominant technology, increasingly paired with energy recovery devices, solar power integration and AI/IoT-driven smart operations that cut energy consumption by up to 70% versus conventional methods; emerging approaches include Oneka Technologies' wave-powered, zero-electricity desalination buoys, Epic CleanTec's building-scale wastewater recycling (95% recovery, named a Top GreenTech Company by TIME in 2026), and Hydrosat's AI-powered thermal satellite analytics for water-scarcity and agricultural risk monitoring, which raised EUR51 million in a January 2026 Series B.
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Evidence
1 source · 40% avg. source confidence
- Fortune Business Insights / Coherent Market Insights — Desalination market enters fastest growth phase in history amid climate-driven scarcity40% source confidence
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Jan 2026 · Desalination market enters fastest growth phase in history
Installed desalination capacity grew 40% since 2020, with the global desalination market estimated at $20.76-23.89 billion in 2026 and projected to more than double to $38-58 billion by the early 2030s, driven by escalating drought and water scarcity challenges alongside increasing integration of AI and IoT for smart desalination operations.