Techno-Economic Performance Evaluation of Wind-Powered Hybrid MED–RO Seawater Desalination System.

Freshwater shortage remains the major global problem (UN-Water, 2023; World Health Organization, 2022), particularly in coastal and island regions, where desalination is often associated with high energy costs and dependence on fossil fuels, which have a negative effect on the environment. The integration of renewable energy sources has been widely studied to reduce dependence on fossil fuels and improve energy efficiency and environmental impact, particularly through wind, solar, and geothermal powered desalination systems (Al-Obaidi et al., 2024). The economic feasibility of a hybrid MED–RO system driven by solar energy as a renewable energy option has been investigation focus on the reduction of freshwater product cost (Filippini et al., 2019a). In this study, a detailed mathematical model of a wind energy + MED + RO hybrid, together with an economic model, was developed and implemented in gPROMS software. The integrated model was tested using real site conditions for selected locations: Las Palmas, Perth, and Pantelleria. The assessment focuses on the cost of freshwater production. The simulation results of the proposed model were compared with results from a solar energy integrated system operating under the same conditions, as reported in the open literature. The results indicate that the cost of freshwater production was reduced by 10-12% with wind energy integration compared to solar energy in Las Palmas and Perth, and by up to 25% compared to conventional energy in Las Palmas. However, in Pantelleria, the wind energy option was more expensive in terms of freshwater costs than the solar energy option.

References

Al-Obaidi, M.A.; Alsadaie, S.; Alsarayreh, A.; Sowgath, M.T.; Mujtaba, I.M. Integration of Renewable Energy Systems in Desalination. Processes 2024, 12, 770. https://doi.org/10.3390/pr12040770.

Filippini, G., MA Al-Obaidi, F Manenti, and IM Mujtaba. 2019a. 'Design and economic evaluation of solar-powered hybrid multi-effect and reverse osmosis system for seawater desalination,' Desalination, 465: 114-25.