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Solar Desalination in the Southwest United States: A Thermoeconomic Analysis Utilizing the Sun to Desalt Water in High Irradiance RegionsStroud, Matthew January 2012 (has links)
Water scarcity and high irradiance overlap in the southwestern United States. This thesis explores solar energy as a method to power desalination in the Southwest. Ten solar desalination plants were modeled using photovoltaic reverse osmosis and concentrated solar thermal multi-effect distillation. Seawater and brackish water were considered, as well as liquid and zero liquid discharge plants. Using borrowed capital amortization, levelized energy costs were estimated to be 0.067 $/kWh-electric for photovoltaic systems and 0.009 $/kWh-heat for thermal systems. Photovoltaic reverse osmosis with liquid plant waste showed the best short-term financials while optimal long-term solar desalination methods were shown to be arbitrary, limited by solar conversion and desalination thermodynamics. A conceptualization and proof of desalination minimum work is presented. This study concludes that solar desalination cost remains higher than conservation, but has considerable potential as a new source of water in the Southwest, filling the gap between overdraft and renewable supply.
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