On the fringes of green technology

Make it rain--it's a power that countless shaman longed for. New Mexico's Altela has come up with an industrial system that simulates the evaporation/condensation process that naturally turns seawater into rain and for turning industrial waste water into water that's safe to drink. A single unit can process 250 gallons of water a day fits into a 20-foot by 40-foot shipping container. The company recently received $7.1 million in funding and is testing the equipment in the Southwest.

"We can provide desalinated water for the world's population," CEO Ned Godshall said in an interview earlier this year.

Water, for human consumption and agricultural use, will likely be one of the first tangible crises to emerge out of global warming. A number of start-ups and established companies--NanoH2O, Atlantium, Aqwise, General Electric--are putting more energy into desalination and purification.