There are a lot of potential sources of clean energy out there: solar energy, wind energy, hydrogen-based energy, and more. One of the less-known sources of clean energy is wave energy. Now Oneka, a Canadian startup that uses the power of waves to desalinate (脱盐) water, is turning seawater into drinking water. 

More than half the world's inhabitants struggle to find drinking water at least one month a year. And with climate change bringing with it extreme weather and heat, that figure will likely rise. That is why it is estimated that the desalination sector will rise by nine percent by 2030.

In general, there are two kinds of desalination technology. The first is thermal (热能) . The second technology is membrane (薄膜) based. Whichever technology is used, however, most desalination plants run on non-renewable energy. And there is also the issue of the salt itself. The high salinity (盐分) of the water and salt that flows back into the ocean often create dead zones. The water in these zones is so salty that marine life dies off in those areas. 

"Desalination facilities are conventionally powered by fossil fuels, " Hunt said. "But the world has certainly reached a pivot point. We want to move away from fossil fuel powered desalination. " This is where Oneka's unique desalination technology comes in. In fact, the city of Fort Bragg, California, has decided to use state funds to begin a new kind of desalination technology in partnership with the Canadian startup.

Oneka uses floating desalination machines, attached to buoys (浮标) . The buoys then absorb energy from the ocean waves, and convert it into mechanical forces, pumping the water through the membrane system. The fresh water is then pumped to land, also using the power of the waves. 

The water that streams back into the ocean only contains a 30 percent increase in salinity, and is quickly dispersed (分散) by the waves, leaving no dead zones. This innovative technology shows is that sometimes the solutions to complicated problems don't have to be complicated at all. Sometimes all you need are the ocean waves.