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Distributed desalination using solar energy: A technoeconomic framework to decarbonize nontraditional water treatment
Akanksha K Menon1,2, Mingxin Jia2,3, Sumanjeet Kaur2
1George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30332, USA.
Iscience
|February 9, 2023
Summary
Renewable energy desalination can shift to modular inland plants. Solar-thermal energy is more cost-effective than photovoltaics, with energy storage outperforming water storage for sustainable water production.
Area of Science:
- Environmental science
- Renewable energy engineering
- Water resource management
Background:
- Current desalination relies on centralized, fossil-fuel-powered coastal plants.
- A shift towards decentralized, inland desalination powered by renewable energy is proposed.
- This transition necessitates addressing challenges like energy storage and inland brine management.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the levelized cost of water for various solar desalination system configurations.
- To compare the economic viability of different energy sources (solar-thermal vs. photovoltaics) and storage methods (energy vs. water).
- To assess the feasibility of inland brine management strategies for fossil fuel and renewable-powered plants.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of 16 solar desalination system configurations.
- Evaluation at two different salinity levels.
- Economic modeling of levelized cost of water, considering energy generation, storage, and brine management.
Main Results:
- For fossil fuel plants, zero-liquid discharge is more economical than inland brine disposal.
- Solar-thermal energy is superior to photovoltaics for renewable desalination due to lower thermal storage costs.
- Energy storage is more effective than water storage, despite higher costs, due to better utilization.
Conclusions:
- Solar desalination presents a promising, cost-effective solution for decentralized water production by 2030.
- Solar-thermal energy with energy storage offers the most viable pathway for renewable-powered inland desalination.
- Technological advancements and decreasing costs in solar generation and storage will drive the adoption of sustainable desalination.
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