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Implementation of Brackish Groundwater Desalination Using Wind-Generated Electricity: A Case Study of the Energy-Water Nexus in Texas

Author

Listed:
  • Mary E. Clayton

    (Department of Mechanical Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin, 204 East Dean Keeton Street, Stop C2200, Austin, TX 78712, USA)

  • Ashlynn S. Stillwell

    (Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 205 North Mathews Avenue, 2521 Hydrosystems Laboratory, Urbana, IL 61801, USA
    These authors contributed equally to this work.)

  • Michael E. Webber

    (Department of Mechanical Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin, 204 East Dean Keeton Street, Stop C2200, Austin, TX 78712, USA
    These authors contributed equally to this work.)

Abstract

Growing populations and periodic drought conditions have exacerbated water stress in many areas worldwide. In response, some municipalities have considered desalination of saline water as a freshwater supply. Unfortunately, desalination requires a sizeable energy investment. However, renewable energy technologies can be paired with desalination to mitigate concern over the environmental impacts of increased energy use. At the same time, desalination can be operated in an intermittent way to match the variable availability of renewable resources. Integrating wind power and brackish groundwater desalination generates a high-value product (drinking water) from low-value resources (saline water and wind power without storage). This paper presents a geographically-resolved performance and economic method that estimates the energy requirements and profitability of an integrated wind-powered reverse osmosis facility treating brackish groundwater. It is based on a model that incorporates prevailing natural and market conditions such as average wind speeds, total dissolved solids content, brackish well depth, desalination treatment capacity, capital and operation costs of wind and desalination facilities, brine disposal costs, and electricity and water prices into its calculation. The model is illustrated using conditions in Texas (where there are counties with significant co-location of wind and brackish water resources). Results from this case study indicate that integrating wind turbines and brackish water reverse osmosis (BWRO) systems is economically favorable in a few municipal locations in West Texas.

Suggested Citation

  • Mary E. Clayton & Ashlynn S. Stillwell & Michael E. Webber, 2014. "Implementation of Brackish Groundwater Desalination Using Wind-Generated Electricity: A Case Study of the Energy-Water Nexus in Texas," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 6(2), pages 1-21, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:6:y:2014:i:2:p:758-778:d:32780
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. A.H.T. Shyam Kularathna & Sayaka Suda & Ken Takagi & Shigeru Tabeta, 2019. "Evaluation of Co-Existence Options of Marine Renewable Energy Projects in Japan," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(10), pages 1-26, May.
    2. Farhad Yazdandoost & Seyyed Ali Yazdani, 2019. "A New Integrated Portfolio Based Water-Energy-Environment Nexus in Wetland Catchments," Water Resources Management: An International Journal, Published for the European Water Resources Association (EWRA), Springer;European Water Resources Association (EWRA), vol. 33(9), pages 2991-3009, July.
    3. Joe Williams & Stefan Bouzarovski & Erik Swyngedouw, 2019. "The urban resource nexus: On the politics of relationality, water–energy infrastructure and the fallacy of integration," Environment and Planning C, , vol. 37(4), pages 652-669, June.
    4. Bertsiou, M. & Feloni, E. & Karpouzos, D. & Baltas, E., 2018. "Water management and electricity output of a Hybrid Renewable Energy System (HRES) in Fournoi Island in Aegean Sea," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 118(C), pages 790-798.
    5. Measrainsey Meng & Mo Chen & Kelly T. Sanders, 2016. "Evaluating the Feasibility of Using Produced Water from Oil and Natural Gas Production to Address Water Scarcity in California’s Central Valley," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 8(12), pages 1-13, December.
    6. Nagasawa, Kazunori & Davidson, F. Todd & Lloyd, Alan C. & Webber, Michael E., 2019. "Impacts of renewable hydrogen production from wind energy in electricity markets on potential hydrogen demand for light-duty vehicles," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 235(C), pages 1001-1016.
    7. Funk, Bryana & Amer, Saud A. & Ward, Frank A., 2023. "Sustainable aquifer management for food security," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 281(C).
    8. Skroufouta, S. & Baltas, E., 2021. "Investigation of hybrid renewable energy system (HRES) for covering energy and water needs on the Island of Karpathos in Aegean Sea," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 173(C), pages 141-150.
    9. Deetjen, Thomas A. & Rhodes, Joshua D. & Webber, Michael E., 2017. "The impacts of wind and solar on grid flexibility requirements in the Electric Reliability Council of Texas," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 123(C), pages 637-654.
    10. Jill B. Kjellsson & Michael E. Webber, 2015. "The Energy-Water Nexus: Spatially-Resolved Analysis of the Potential for Desalinating Brackish Groundwater by Use of Solar Energy," Resources, MDPI, vol. 4(3), pages 1-14, June.

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