Simulation and Economical Study of a Photovoltaic System to Power a Reverse Osmosis Desalination System in Port Sudan

Abstract

In general, seas and oceans water is one of the most important sources of water on the face of the earth, but it is not suitable for use (drinking and irrigation) unless it is treated. Desalination by reverse osmosis (SWRO) is one method that can be applied to produce fresh water. This requires electricity to operate the reverse osmosis unit. In this study the design of the photovoltaic system of a reverse osmosis unit designed to produce 7 m3/h was evaluated, four cases with different operating conditions were studied by simulation in the PVsyst software; The first scenario is based on operating for 8 hours without energy storage, the second for the same period of operation with energy storage in batteries, and in the third scenario it works for 10 hours without energy storage, and the fourth scenario for the same period but using batteries. The results showed that the cost of producing a ton of fresh water in the first case 0.878 USD/m3, in the second case 1.249 USD/m3 which the highest cost, in the third case it was 0.711 USD/m3 which the lowest cost compared to the rest of the cases, as for the last case is 0.995 USD/m3. Although this study was conducted on the available data for the city of Port Sudan, its results can be extended to all areas located on the seacoast and areas with similar climate.