Addressing water scarcity and energy sustainability through PV-desalination systems: A case study on the southern coast of Iran
Water scarcity, particularly in tropical climates, has made the development of alternative solutions, such as desalination technologies, inevitable. However, challenges such as energy supply, the cost of produced water, and the emissions associated with the power supply method must be optimized to m...
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Elsevier
2025-06-01
|
| Series: | Energy Nexus |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S277242712500066X |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1849689878768386048 |
|---|---|
| author | Mohammad Javad Ranjbar Hossein Yousefi Mahmood abdoos Fatemeh Razi Astaraei Mohammad Amin Vaziri Rad |
| author_facet | Mohammad Javad Ranjbar Hossein Yousefi Mahmood abdoos Fatemeh Razi Astaraei Mohammad Amin Vaziri Rad |
| author_sort | Mohammad Javad Ranjbar |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Water scarcity, particularly in tropical climates, has made the development of alternative solutions, such as desalination technologies, inevitable. However, challenges such as energy supply, the cost of produced water, and the emissions associated with the power supply method must be optimized to make desalination plants more cost-effective and environmentally friendly. This study provides a comprehensive technical, economic, and environmental assessment of a photovoltaic-reverse osmosis (PV-RO) desalination plant in a tropical climate. By analyzing different installation capacities, the developed model aims to maximize the solar fraction (SF) and minimize energy costs under the economic conditions of Iran. For the case study of the RO plant, two load profiles were analyzed, with results showing that operating the RO plant with higher capacities during daylight hours leads to better economic and environmental performance compared to 24-hour operation with a mid-range capacity. In the optimum scenario, the results show that by installing 14.75 MW of PV panels, the demand for 25,000 m³ of fresh water can be met, while the total renewable energy production equals the energy demand of the desalination plant. The SF of this grid-connected system reaches 92 %, and by selling the 8 % excess power to the grid, the final levelized cost of energy (LCOE) is reduced to $0.062/kWh, with the levelized cost of water (LCOW) reaching less than $0.35/m³. Additionally, the proposed system reduces grid dependency by >80 %, preventing over 205,000 tons of CO₂ emissions over 20 years of freshwater supply. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-2e20023de8c74693b4a16b0331e9146e |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2772-4271 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-06-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Energy Nexus |
| spelling | doaj-art-2e20023de8c74693b4a16b0331e9146e2025-08-20T03:21:30ZengElsevierEnergy Nexus2772-42712025-06-011810042510.1016/j.nexus.2025.100425Addressing water scarcity and energy sustainability through PV-desalination systems: A case study on the southern coast of IranMohammad Javad Ranjbar0Hossein Yousefi1Mahmood abdoos2Fatemeh Razi Astaraei3Mohammad Amin Vaziri Rad4School of Energy Engineering and Sustainable Resources, College of Interdisciplinary Science and Technology, University of Tehran, Tehran, IranCorresponding author.; School of Energy Engineering and Sustainable Resources, College of Interdisciplinary Science and Technology, University of Tehran, Tehran, IranSchool of Energy Engineering and Sustainable Resources, College of Interdisciplinary Science and Technology, University of Tehran, Tehran, IranSchool of Energy Engineering and Sustainable Resources, College of Interdisciplinary Science and Technology, University of Tehran, Tehran, IranSchool of Energy Engineering and Sustainable Resources, College of Interdisciplinary Science and Technology, University of Tehran, Tehran, IranWater scarcity, particularly in tropical climates, has made the development of alternative solutions, such as desalination technologies, inevitable. However, challenges such as energy supply, the cost of produced water, and the emissions associated with the power supply method must be optimized to make desalination plants more cost-effective and environmentally friendly. This study provides a comprehensive technical, economic, and environmental assessment of a photovoltaic-reverse osmosis (PV-RO) desalination plant in a tropical climate. By analyzing different installation capacities, the developed model aims to maximize the solar fraction (SF) and minimize energy costs under the economic conditions of Iran. For the case study of the RO plant, two load profiles were analyzed, with results showing that operating the RO plant with higher capacities during daylight hours leads to better economic and environmental performance compared to 24-hour operation with a mid-range capacity. In the optimum scenario, the results show that by installing 14.75 MW of PV panels, the demand for 25,000 m³ of fresh water can be met, while the total renewable energy production equals the energy demand of the desalination plant. The SF of this grid-connected system reaches 92 %, and by selling the 8 % excess power to the grid, the final levelized cost of energy (LCOE) is reduced to $0.062/kWh, with the levelized cost of water (LCOW) reaching less than $0.35/m³. Additionally, the proposed system reduces grid dependency by >80 %, preventing over 205,000 tons of CO₂ emissions over 20 years of freshwater supply.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S277242712500066XEnergy nexusRenewable energyDesalination3E life cycle assessment |
| spellingShingle | Mohammad Javad Ranjbar Hossein Yousefi Mahmood abdoos Fatemeh Razi Astaraei Mohammad Amin Vaziri Rad Addressing water scarcity and energy sustainability through PV-desalination systems: A case study on the southern coast of Iran Energy Nexus Energy nexus Renewable energy Desalination 3E life cycle assessment |
| title | Addressing water scarcity and energy sustainability through PV-desalination systems: A case study on the southern coast of Iran |
| title_full | Addressing water scarcity and energy sustainability through PV-desalination systems: A case study on the southern coast of Iran |
| title_fullStr | Addressing water scarcity and energy sustainability through PV-desalination systems: A case study on the southern coast of Iran |
| title_full_unstemmed | Addressing water scarcity and energy sustainability through PV-desalination systems: A case study on the southern coast of Iran |
| title_short | Addressing water scarcity and energy sustainability through PV-desalination systems: A case study on the southern coast of Iran |
| title_sort | addressing water scarcity and energy sustainability through pv desalination systems a case study on the southern coast of iran |
| topic | Energy nexus Renewable energy Desalination 3E life cycle assessment |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S277242712500066X |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT mohammadjavadranjbar addressingwaterscarcityandenergysustainabilitythroughpvdesalinationsystemsacasestudyonthesoutherncoastofiran AT hosseinyousefi addressingwaterscarcityandenergysustainabilitythroughpvdesalinationsystemsacasestudyonthesoutherncoastofiran AT mahmoodabdoos addressingwaterscarcityandenergysustainabilitythroughpvdesalinationsystemsacasestudyonthesoutherncoastofiran AT fatemehraziastaraei addressingwaterscarcityandenergysustainabilitythroughpvdesalinationsystemsacasestudyonthesoutherncoastofiran AT mohammadaminvazirirad addressingwaterscarcityandenergysustainabilitythroughpvdesalinationsystemsacasestudyonthesoutherncoastofiran |