IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/rensus/v19y2013icp136-163.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Solar assisted sea water desalination: A review

Author

Listed:
  • Li, Chennan
  • Goswami, Yogi
  • Stefanakos, Elias

Abstract

Seawater desalination is an important process to meet the increasing demand for fresh water demand; however, it is highly energy intensive due to the high salinity of the source. Studies on using solar energy to drive seawater desalination are very actively being pursued. This paper reviews the current solar desalination research activities first, followed by discussions of solar assisted desalination processes and a variety of possible combinations. Solar assisted desalination has been proved technically feasible; however the combined solar and fossil fuel desalination, and desalination using low grade waste heat could be more cost effective at this time. Though solar assisted desalination processes have not been commercialized as yet, with the current ongoing research, they remain a valid option for future desalination plants.

Suggested Citation

  • Li, Chennan & Goswami, Yogi & Stefanakos, Elias, 2013. "Solar assisted sea water desalination: A review," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 19(C), pages 136-163.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:rensus:v:19:y:2013:i:c:p:136-163
    DOI: 10.1016/j.rser.2012.04.059
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S136403211200617X
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.rser.2012.04.059?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Al-Alawi, Ali & M Al-Alawi, Saleh & M Islam, Syed, 2007. "Predictive control of an integrated PV-diesel water and power supply system using an artificial neural network," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 32(8), pages 1426-1439.
    2. El-Sebaii, A.A. & Al-Ghamdi, A.A. & Al-Hazmi, F.S. & Faidah, Adel S., 2009. "Thermal performance of a single basin solar still with PCM as a storage medium," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 86(7-8), pages 1187-1195, July.
    3. Tchanche, B.F. & Lambrinos, Gr. & Frangoudakis, A. & Papadakis, G., 2010. "Exergy analysis of micro-organic Rankine power cycles for a small scale solar driven reverse osmosis desalination system," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 87(4), pages 1295-1306, April.
    4. Kosmadakis, G. & Manolakos, D. & Kyritsis, S. & Papadakis, G., 2009. "Economic assessment of a two-stage solar organic Rankine cycle for reverse osmosis desalination," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 34(6), pages 1579-1586.
    5. Kalogirou, Soteris, 2003. "The potential of solar industrial process heat applications," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 76(4), pages 337-361, December.
    6. Gastli, Adel & Charabi, Yassine & Zekri, Slim, 2010. "GIS-based assessment of combined CSP electric power and seawater desalination plant for Duqum--Oman," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 14(2), pages 821-827, February.
    7. Al-Ansari, Ahmad & Ettouney, Hisham & El-Dessouky, Hisham, 2001. "Water–zeolite adsorption heat pump combined with single effect evaporation desalination process," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 24(1), pages 91-111.
    8. Onyegegbu, S.O., 1986. "Nocturnal distillation in basin-type solar stills," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 24(1), pages 29-42.
    9. Palenzuela, Patricia & Zaragoza, Guillermo & Alarcón-Padilla, Diego C. & Guillén, Elena & Ibarra, Mercedes & Blanco, Julián, 2011. "Assessment of different configurations for combined parabolic-trough (PT) solar power and desalination plants in arid regions," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 36(8), pages 4950-4958.
    10. Velmurugan, V. & Srithar, K., 2008. "Prospects and scopes of solar pond: A detailed review," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 12(8), pages 2253-2263, October.
    11. Fernández-García, A. & Zarza, E. & Valenzuela, L. & Pérez, M., 2010. "Parabolic-trough solar collectors and their applications," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 14(7), pages 1695-1721, September.
    12. Delgado-Torres, Agustín M., 2009. "Solar thermal heat engines for water pumping: An update," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 13(2), pages 462-472, February.
    13. Blanco, J. & Malato, S. & Fernández-Ibañez, P. & Alarcón, D. & Gernjak, W. & Maldonado, M.I., 2009. "Review of feasible solar energy applications to water processes," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 13(6-7), pages 1437-1445, August.
    14. Arjunan, T.V. & Aybar, H.S. & Nedunchezhian, N., 2009. "Status of solar desalination in India," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 13(9), pages 2408-2418, December.
    15. Quirin Schiermeier, 2008. "Water: Purification with a pinch of salt," Nature, Nature, vol. 452(7185), pages 260-261, March.
    16. Kalogirou, Soteris, 1997. "Survey of solar desalination systems and system selection," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 22(1), pages 69-81.
    17. Nafey, A.S. & Sharaf, M.A., 2010. "Combined solar organic Rankine cycle with reverse osmosis desalination process: Energy, exergy, and cost evaluations," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 35(11), pages 2571-2580.
    18. Kumar, Sanjay & Tiwari, G.N., 1996. "Performance evaluation of an active solar distillation system," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 21(9), pages 805-808.
    19. Alajlan, S.A. & Smiai, M.S., 1996. "Performance and development of PV - plant for water pumping and desalination for remote area in Saudi Arabia," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 8(1), pages 441-446.
    20. Hasnain, S.M. & Alajlan, S., 1998. "Coupling of PV-powered R.O. brackish water desalination plant with solar stills," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 14(1), pages 281-286.
    21. Jiang, Juyuan & Tian, He & Cui, Mingxian & Liu, Lijian, 2009. "Proof-of-concept study of an integrated solar desalination system," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 34(12), pages 2798-2802.
    22. Rommel, Matthias, 1998. "Solar thermally driven desalination systems with corrosion-free collectors," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 14(1), pages 275-280.
    23. Chen, Huijuan & Goswami, D. Yogi & Stefanakos, Elias K., 2010. "A review of thermodynamic cycles and working fluids for the conversion of low-grade heat," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 14(9), pages 3059-3067, December.
    24. Al-Karaghouli, Ali & Renne, David & Kazmerski, Lawrence L., 2010. "Technical and economic assessment of photovoltaic-driven desalination systems," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 35(2), pages 323-328.
    25. Mark A. Shannon & Paul W. Bohn & Menachem Elimelech & John G. Georgiadis & Benito J. Mariñas & Anne M. Mayes, 2008. "Science and technology for water purification in the coming decades," Nature, Nature, vol. 452(7185), pages 301-310, March.
    26. Chang, Hsuan & Wang, Gow-Bin & Chen, Yih-Hang & Li, Chien-Chang & Chang, Cheng-Liang, 2010. "Modeling and optimization of a solar driven membrane distillation desalination system," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 35(12), pages 2714-2722.
    27. Farwati, M.A., 1997. "Theoretical study of multi-stage flash distillation using solar energy," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 22(1), pages 1-5.
    28. Baños, R. & Manzano-Agugliaro, F. & Montoya, F.G. & Gil, C. & Alcayde, A. & Gómez, J., 2011. "Optimization methods applied to renewable and sustainable energy: A review," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 15(4), pages 1753-1766, May.
    29. Müller-Holst, H. & Engelhardt, M. & Herve, M. & Schölkopf, W., 1998. "Solarthermal seawater desalination systems for decentralised use," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 14(1), pages 311-318.
    30. Narayan, G. Prakash & Sharqawy, Mostafa H. & Summers, Edward K. & Lienhard, John H. & Zubair, Syed M. & Antar, M.A., 2010. "The potential of solar-driven humidification-dehumidification desalination for small-scale decentralized water production," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 14(4), pages 1187-1201, May.
    31. Ayhan, Teoman & Al Madani, Hussain, 2010. "Feasibilty study of renewable energy powered seawater desalination technology using natural vacuum technique," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 35(2), pages 506-514.
    32. Sampathkumar, K. & Arjunan, T.V. & Pitchandi, P. & Senthilkumar, P., 2010. "Active solar distillation--A detailed review," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 14(6), pages 1503-1526, August.
    33. Sharaf, M.A. & Nafey, A.S. & García-Rodríguez, Lourdes, 2011. "Thermo-economic analysis of solar thermal power cycles assisted MED-VC (multi effect distillation-vapor compression) desalination processes," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 36(5), pages 2753-2764.
    34. Siqueiros, J. & Holland, F.A., 2000. "Water desalination using heat pumps," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 25(8), pages 717-729.
    35. Zhani, K. & Ben Bacha, H., 2010. "Experimental investigation of a new solar desalination prototype using the humidification dehumidification principle," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 35(11), pages 2610-2617.
    36. Li, Chennan & Goswami, D. Yogi & Shapiro, Andrew & Stefanakos, Elias K. & Demirkaya, Gokmen, 2012. "A new combined power and desalination system driven by low grade heat for concentrated brine," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 46(1), pages 582-595.
    37. Kosmadakis, G. & Manolakos, D. & Papadakis, G., 2010. "Parametric theoretical study of a two-stage solar organic Rankine cycle for RO desalination," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 35(5), pages 989-996.
    38. Ali, Muhammad Tauha & Fath, Hassan E.S. & Armstrong, Peter R., 2011. "A comprehensive techno-economical review of indirect solar desalination," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 15(8), pages 4187-4199.
    39. Parida, Bhubaneswari & Iniyan, S. & Goic, Ranko, 2011. "A review of solar photovoltaic technologies," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 15(3), pages 1625-1636, April.
    40. Kabeel, A.E. & Hamed, A.M. & El-Agouz, S.A., 2010. "Cost analysis of different solar still configurations," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 35(7), pages 2901-2908.
    41. Deng, Runya & Xie, Lixin & Lin, Hu & Liu, Jie & Han, Wei, 2010. "Integration of thermal energy and seawater desalination," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 35(11), pages 4368-4374.
    42. Sharma, Atul & Tyagi, V.V. & Chen, C.R. & Buddhi, D., 2009. "Review on thermal energy storage with phase change materials and applications," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 13(2), pages 318-345, February.
    43. Kalogirou, Soteris, 1997. "Economic analysis of a solar assisted desalination system," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 12(4), pages 351-367.
    44. Alawaji, Saleh & Smiai, Mohammed Salah & Rafique, Shah & Stafford, Byron, 1995. "PV-powered water pumping and desalination plant for remote areas in Saudi Arabia," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 52(2-3), pages 283-289.
    45. Banat, F & Jumah, R & Garaibeh, M, 2002. "Exploitation of solar energy collected by solar stills for desalination by membrane distillation," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 25(2), pages 293-305.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Sharon, H. & Reddy, K.S., 2015. "A review of solar energy driven desalination technologies," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 41(C), pages 1080-1118.
    2. Li, Chennan & Besarati, Saeb & Goswami, Yogi & Stefanakos, Elias & Chen, Huijuan, 2013. "Reverse osmosis desalination driven by low temperature supercritical organic rankine cycle," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 102(C), pages 1071-1080.
    3. Ali, Muhammad Tauha & Fath, Hassan E.S. & Armstrong, Peter R., 2011. "A comprehensive techno-economical review of indirect solar desalination," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 15(8), pages 4187-4199.
    4. Gude, Veera Gnaneswar, 2015. "Energy storage for desalination processes powered by renewable energy and waste heat sources," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 137(C), pages 877-898.
    5. M, Chandrashekara & Yadav, Avadhesh, 2017. "Water desalination system using solar heat: A review," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 67(C), pages 1308-1330.
    6. Hepbasli, Arif & Alsuhaibani, Zeyad, 2011. "A key review on present status and future directions of solar energy studies and applications in Saudi Arabia," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 15(9), pages 5021-5050.
    7. Mohamed, A.S.A. & Shahdy, Abanob G. & Mohamed, Hany A. & Ahmed, M. Salem, 2023. "A comprehensive review of the vacuum solar still systems," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 184(C).
    8. Manju, S. & Sagar, Netramani, 2017. "Renewable energy integrated desalination: A sustainable solution to overcome future fresh-water scarcity in India," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 73(C), pages 594-609.
    9. Shalaby, S.M., 2017. "Reverse osmosis desalination powered by photovoltaic and solar Rankine cycle power systems: A review," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 73(C), pages 789-797.
    10. Omar, Amr & Nashed, Amir & Li, Qiyuan & Leslie, Greg & Taylor, Robert A., 2020. "Pathways for integrated concentrated solar power - Desalination: A critical review," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 119(C).
    11. Li, Chennan & Goswami, D. Yogi & Shapiro, Andrew & Stefanakos, Elias K. & Demirkaya, Gokmen, 2012. "A new combined power and desalination system driven by low grade heat for concentrated brine," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 46(1), pages 582-595.
    12. Reif, John H. & Alhalabi, Wadee, 2015. "Solar-thermal powered desalination: Its significant challenges and potential," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 48(C), pages 152-165.
    13. Gorjian, Shiva & Ghobadian, Barat, 2015. "Solar desalination: A sustainable solution to water crisis in Iran," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 48(C), pages 571-584.
    14. Zejli, Driss & Ouammi, Ahmed & Sacile, Roberto & Dagdougui, Hanane & Elmidaoui, Azzeddine, 2011. "An optimization model for a mechanical vapor compression desalination plant driven by a wind/PV hybrid system," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 88(11), pages 4042-4054.
    15. Kasaeian, Alibakhsh & Rajaee, Fatemeh & Yan, Wei-Mon, 2019. "Osmotic desalination by solar energy: A critical review," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 134(C), pages 1473-1490.
    16. Ranjan, K.R. & Kaushik, S.C., 2013. "Energy, exergy and thermo-economic analysis of solar distillation systems: A review," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 27(C), pages 709-723.
    17. Vélez, Fredy & Segovia, José J. & Martín, M. Carmen & Antolín, Gregorio & Chejne, Farid & Quijano, Ana, 2012. "A technical, economical and market review of organic Rankine cycles for the conversion of low-grade heat for power generation," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 16(6), pages 4175-4189.
    18. Jha, Sunil Kr. & Bilalovic, Jasmin & Jha, Anju & Patel, Nilesh & Zhang, Han, 2017. "Renewable energy: Present research and future scope of Artificial Intelligence," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 77(C), pages 297-317.
    19. El-Sebaii, A.A., 2011. "On effect of wind speed on passive solar still performance based on inner/outer surface temperatures of the glass cover," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 36(8), pages 4943-4949.
    20. Wang, Hailei & Peterson, Richard & Herron, Tom, 2011. "Design study of configurations on system COP for a combined ORC (organic Rankine cycle) and VCC (vapor compression cycle)," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 36(8), pages 4809-4820.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:rensus:v:19:y:2013:i:c:p:136-163. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/journaldescription.cws_home/600126/description#description .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.