One rather obvious technology that has risen in prominence over the last several decades is desalination. This generally refers to removing salt from seawater, but could also apply to treatment of other types of water (such as wastewater or brackish water), to make it potable.

International interest groups, such as the Global Clean Water Desalination Alliance, have been promoting the use of clean energy for desalination, setting global targets until 2036 to further reduce reliance on fossil fuels in the water treatment process.