Regarding the availability of water for expanding the population near GF1, here's Truckee Meadows Regional Plan info to consider. The Truckee Meadows encompasses Reno, Sparks, and immediately adjacent areas. It does not include Storey County, where the GF1 is located, but we can assume a large percentage of GF1 workers will commute from the Truckee Meadows. The plan suggests that there will be 107,000 new residents to the Truckee Meadows over the next 20 years. If water can be found to support this increased population over a 20 year period, then a smaller increase can be found within the next few years to increase the population as needed for Tesla's Gigafactory 1.
As a general rule, local governments want growth because it expands their revenues and allows local contractors and businesses to make more money. Sometimes, when the water is not available, a local government will find roundabout ways to grow nonetheless. For example, I live in Hawaii on the island of Oahu (where Honolulu is located). The majority of water used by residents is obtained from wells. Initially, some growth was possible by displacing agriculture land with houses and buying the water rights. The problem is that if you take the water table down too far with increased water usage, salt water from the ocean will eventually intrude and then you have an ecological disaster. Rule #1 for bureaucrats is to never fail to recognize the gift contained in any problem. In our case, the water and sewer systems on the island had deteriorated to the point where there are major and regular failures. Consequently, the price of water plus sewer were increased many times over and continue to rise as extensive repairs are made. The result? Water usage dropped significantly. How did the local government respond? It authorized a plethora of new home developments on the island, taking advantage of the local water consumption drop by residents. What happens when water and sewer fees return to normal? Disaster, of course, so they will NEVER return to normal again. Residents haven't figured this out yet and by the time they do it'll be too late. Governments seeking growth have a way of making it possible.
The best hope for lower water and sewer fees for residents of my island would be low-cost desalination of sea water made possible by cheap solar and wind energy, both of which are plentiful. You wouldn't need much in the way of batteries because you could decrease or halt the desalination when it is night time and the wind is still.
As a general rule, local governments want growth because it expands their revenues and allows local contractors and businesses to make more money. Sometimes, when the water is not available, a local government will find roundabout ways to grow nonetheless. For example, I live in Hawaii on the island of Oahu (where Honolulu is located). The majority of water used by residents is obtained from wells. Initially, some growth was possible by displacing agriculture land with houses and buying the water rights. The problem is that if you take the water table down too far with increased water usage, salt water from the ocean will eventually intrude and then you have an ecological disaster. Rule #1 for bureaucrats is to never fail to recognize the gift contained in any problem. In our case, the water and sewer systems on the island had deteriorated to the point where there are major and regular failures. Consequently, the price of water plus sewer were increased many times over and continue to rise as extensive repairs are made. The result? Water usage dropped significantly. How did the local government respond? It authorized a plethora of new home developments on the island, taking advantage of the local water consumption drop by residents. What happens when water and sewer fees return to normal? Disaster, of course, so they will NEVER return to normal again. Residents haven't figured this out yet and by the time they do it'll be too late. Governments seeking growth have a way of making it possible.
The best hope for lower water and sewer fees for residents of my island would be low-cost desalination of sea water made possible by cheap solar and wind energy, both of which are plentiful. You wouldn't need much in the way of batteries because you could decrease or halt the desalination when it is night time and the wind is still.
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