If the production of Tellurium nanoparticles can be scaled up to commercial scale the energy needed for desalination can be reduced by 10 times.

There are already several industrial-scale solar desalination projects being built in Israel and Saudi Arabia. Those systems are not using nanoparticle enhancement. The Israel project will produce 10,000 tons of desalinated water per day.

In June 2015, the International Desalination Association reported 18,426 desalination plants operated worldwide, producing 86.8 million cubic meters per day, providing water for 300 million people. This was a 10.71% increase in 2 years. The single largest desalination project is Ras Al-Khair in Saudi Arabia, which produced 1,025,000 cubic meters per day in 2014. Kuwait produces a higher proportion of its water than any other country, totalling 100% of its water use.

Desalination costs in 2013 ranged from US$0.45 to $1.00/cubic meter. More than half of the cost comes directly from energy cost.