Experimental Investigation of the Innovative Small Hybrid Desalination Plant Powered by PVT Panel for Remote Regions

Abstract

The present study aims to innovate small hybrid desalination plants suitable for remote regions working with higher productivity and lower cost of the produced fresh water. To achieve this idea, the small RO desalination plant was combined with the solar still, as well as this innovative hybrid desalination system was combined with the photovoltaic/thermal panel and the evacuated tube solar collector as preheating units to heat the water before it entered the proposed innovative small hybrid desalination plant. To illustrate the characterized of the proposed innovative small hybrid desalination plant, the performance of an innovative small hybrid desalination plant was compared to the conventional small RO desalination plant experimentally under the climate conditions of Tanta city, Egypt. The results presented that the annual permeate water that can be produced from the conventional small RO desalination plant without modification reached 173.74 m3/year, but for the proposed innovative small hybrid desalination plant the annual permeate water that can be produced will be increased to 352.59 m3/year, with an improvement of 102.94%. Also, the economic analysis presented that the cost of permeate water produced from the conventional RO plant without modification reached 0.915 $/m3. But the permeate water cost produced from an innovative small hybrid desalination plant will be reduced to 0.8178 $/m3, saving 10.62%.