Thelevelized cost of water (LCOW orLCW) is the "cost per unit volume of product water produced by a water treatment process or service". It is a measure of efficiency, with lower values representing more efficient methods. LCW can refer todrinking water for human consumption or water forirrigation.[1] The LCW varies with the method used to produce drinking water.Desalination, which produces usable water fromsaline water, has a higher LCW than processinggroundwater orsurface water. A 2020 study found that advances indecarbonization would reduce the levelized cost of water produced via desalination from€2.4 percubic meter in 2015 (US$2.84) to €1.05 per cubic meter in 2050 (US$1.24).[2] LCW of desalination also depends on the amount of saline that needs to be removed from water: TheUnited States Department of Energy's 2018 grant guidelines suggested a target of $1.50/m3 for solar-thermal desalination of high-salinity water and a target of $0.50/m3 for low-salinity water such as sea water.[3]