If this was the case, then why is the briny residue left after desalination always the thing that gets pointed back to being a big negative of desalination?
Either it's not as big of deal as people suggest, you are wildly underplaying it, or somewhere in between. I've never felt that the argument against being the cost to heat the water was a strong one since salt water pretty much means a coastline which tends to have steady wind and sun. The biggest hang up has typically been putting that brine back into the ocean.