The Economic Review Of Desalination Technologies Using Renewable Energy

Document Type : Review Article

Authors

1 Master Student, Dep. of Renewable Energies and Environment, Faculty of New Science and Technologies, University of Tehran, Iran

2 Associate Professor, Dep. of Renewable Energies and Environment, Faculty of New Science and Technologies, University of Tehran, Iran

Abstract

Remote communities in many countries are in need of dependable and affordable fresh water that must be derived from local brackish water or seawater.  Renewable energy from wind, solar, geothermal, or other sources may be necessary when access to grid electricity is limited. This brief focuses primarily on water desalination based on the use of renewable energy. Global water withdrawals amount to around 4,000 billion m3 per year and in some regions, especially the Middle East and Northern Africa (MENA) – desalination has become the most important source of water for drinking and agriculture. Today’s global desalinated water production amounts to about 65.2 million m3 per day (24 billion m3 per year), equivalent to 0.6% of global water supply. Major desalination technology options are based on thermal processes using both heat and electricity, and membrane technologies using electricity only. The dominant technology is Reverse Osmosis (RO), which accounts for 60% of the global capacity, followed by Multi Stage Flash (MSF), with a 26.8% share. Renewable technologies that are suited to desalination include solar thermal, solar photovoltaics (PV), wind, and geothermal energy. As electricity storage is still a challenge, combining power generation and water desalination can also be a costeffective option for electricity storage when generation exceeds demand.

Keywords

References

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History

  • Receive Date: 13 February 2019
  • Revise Date: 26 June 2019
  • Accept Date: 07 July 2019

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