California and desalination: Blue Economy?

"Since the 1970s, California has dipped its toe into ocean desalination --talking, planning, debating. But for a variety of reasons -- mainly cost and environmental concerns-- the state has never taken the plunge.
Until now...."
http://www.mercurynews.com/science/ci_25859513/nations-largest-ocean-desalination-plant-goes-up-near

Desalination: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Desalination

Interesting posibilities.

The process in VERY energy intensive. Can California do this on a large enough scale, to meet their own future water needs?
Having the toughest GHG policy, Can they also apply the state's technology clusters to improve desalanation tehc, water conservation, low water design across all sectors? Can they thereby create a water export market to the parched southwest?

In an optimistic scenario, Will folks where i live, late this century, be buying California's future low water use design tech to reduce the stress on the great lakes?