Part 7/12:
According to the developers, their technology currently operates at a "technology readiness level" of five—meaning it's still at demonstration stage, tested mainly in laboratories or simulated environments. Their founders have filed international patents and are now working on prototypes that initially burn oil for testing purposes, before transitioning to solar power.
There's also the thermodynamic challenge: extracting the remaining water from brine after the initial evaporation demands nearly six times the energy of the first stage, making complete desalination energy-intensive. This internal "energy tax" could undercut economic viability if not properly managed.