systems

Solar desalination has been found to be a useful method and process that can increase water supply and combat water scarcity.

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Forecasts show that by 2050 the world’s population will reach 9.9 billion. By 2025, it will be very difficult to find a new source of water, as half of the world’s population lives in potentially water-scarce areas.

In the last few decades, solar energy has shifted from the energy efficiency of roofing to other sustainable methods such as desalination. Desalination is the removal of salt from seawater – a solution to future water shortages.

Solar energy is an ever-evolving green technology that researchers use to take steps to improve desalination. The benefits of using solar energy are obvious and outweigh the disadvantages. However, some difficulties stand in the way. Here is an overview of solar energy as a sustainable route of desalination.

Solar solutions for water shortage

Desalination plants around the world treat seawater and wastewater and provide drinking water to millions of people. Some of the largest desalination plants are located in Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Israel. However, they tend to work too hard, which encourages researchers to look for ways to increase energy efficiency.

Recently, a research team from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Shanghai Jiao Tong University in China developed an efficient and promising solar desalination plant that can provide a family with $ 4 worth of drinking water.

One of the obstacles to desalination has always been the accumulation of salt in the saline wick, and the latest system eliminates this with other simple materials. The result is a new solar-powered desalination technology that provides more than 1.5 gallons of drinking water per square meter of sunlight.

The power of the sun is not alien. Green innovations have boosted developments in the construction industry with residential and commercial solar panel systems aimed at reducing climate change and de-carbonizing the economy. The United States has already installed more than 121 gigawatts (GW) of solar power, enough to power 23.3 million homes.

However, there is untapped potential in the application of solar energy technologies to increase water resources around the world. The non-profit organization GivePower recognizes this. In 2020, GivePower’s Kenyan-based solar desalination plant began pumping 2,000 gallons of clean water daily for 35,000 people.

Future water shortages between the MIT research team and organizations such as GivePower, which maximizes the potential for solar desalination, may not be a serious problem in some parts of the world, as we once thought. Similarly, areas affected by natural disasters will be provided with drinking water.

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Water flow: Problems with solar desalination

Although solar desalination has already proven its value as a sustainable method for obtaining clean water, it still has its problems.

Salt contamination – a contaminated barrier – is problematic for most desalination operations. Although MIT and Shanghai Jiao Tong University have found a way to use the wick, the salt and impurities accumulated in traditional desalination systems require regular cleaning, repair and replacement.

The research also highlighted several logistical concerns related to solar desalination projects, including:

Spatial distribution or geographical distance affecting the results of desalination of seawater and solar energy Lack of tools to measure whether solar desalination plants are economically viable Community Permission and Compliance How well can solar desalination plants be connected to the regional network Desalination with solar energy Determining a good combination of other renewable energy sources

It is important to remember that desalination requires a lot of energy, and in some areas there is still uncertainty about access to direct sunlight. For example, climate change may make it difficult to store solar energy for large-scale desalination plants.

Placement is also important. While one region can receive significant solar radiation, others cannot. For example, places with rainy, cloudy, and winter climates may not produce as much solar energy year-round as sunny, desert-like areas – consider the Northeastern states compared to the Southwestern United States. Thus, affected areas may not benefit from solar-powered desalination projects.

In addition, while widespread desalination projects will only run on solar energy, the panels do not generate electricity at night, despite the need for a sequential power source. Although solar panels can usually store enough energy during the day to keep part of the energy open for part of the night, they may not have enough energy for a long time.

There is much to learn from the technology currently available, and improvements are needed to ensure that solar energy has a significant impact on future desalination efforts. Efficiency, intensity and reliability are the cornerstones of a reliable solar energy source, especially as a sufficient route for desalination of seawater and wastewater.

The future of solar desalination is now

The use of solar energy to desalinate water is not a new phenomenon. Solar power plants and projects continue around the world. However, more needs to be done to ensure that this is a sustainable approach to preventing water shortages. Future generations depend on it.

Selected image: Filtration Separation

CALIFORNIA (KYMA, KECY / CNN) – California wants to move to more efficient ways to use energy.

Shannon Eddie, president of a consulting firm that provides progressive policy solutions, says: “Our future energy network will be powered by solar, wind, sea wind and land wind, geothermal, biomass, hydrogen utilization and hydropower. we have water “.

In California, 3 million homes use solar energy, but that number needs to be increased to 10 million.

Climate Central has collected data showing that California produces more than a third of the country’s solar energy.

The cost of solar energy production has decreased by 85 percent since 2010.

Challenges faced by solar energy include storage to produce energy and constant exposure to the sun.

TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) – In this week’s landmark climate report, the United Nations warns of the need for a deep and immediate reduction in emissions to prevent a climate disaster. However, the report also says that we now have solutions because renewable energy has become or even more suitable as traditional energy sources.

In this chart below, you can see how fast the cost of utility-scale wind and solar energy has fallen – up to 85% in the last 10-15 years.

Source: Lazard

Compare this with other types of energy, and solar and wind are now cheaper in many cases.

Source: Lazard

Although Florida does not produce any wind energy, we are a leader in solar energy. Sunshine State is the third largest producer of solar energy in the country.

Source: Climate Central

And the Tampa Gulf Area weighs heavily because Hillsborough is the state’s number one solar-producing district.

Source: Climate Central

But if we hope to keep climate change below critical levels, experts estimate that by 2050, humanity will need to increase its renewable generation tenfold. At current rates of growth, the growth rate in renewable sources is almost not fast enough to keep it below the goals of the Paris Agreement.

However, nationwide employment benefits from renewable industries. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics says wind turbine maintenance and solar installation is one of the top five fastest-growing occupations in the country.

The Canadian branch of Pathfinder Clean Energy, also known as PACE Canada, announced late last month that it would move its headquarters from Vancouver to Calgary.

The company is known for the design and construction of solar arrays, including an increasing number of large-scale solar farms.

The relocation of its headquarters from Vancouver, which first opened in 2017 to enter the Canadian market, was very strategic, given that the company has several major solar projects recently approved by state regulators in Alberta.

These include the 61 MW Joffre solar project near the Joffre Petrochemical Complex in Lacombe County and the 10 MW Youngstown solar project.

Construction of both projects is expected to begin in 2022, and once completed, they will be connected to Alberta’s electricity grid and generate zero emission capacity for 22,000 homes. The plants will have an initial service life of 25 years and will reduce carbon emissions by 16,000 tons per year.

“We are very pleased to move our corporate headquarters to Alberta, as the region will pave the way for our new initiatives,” said Rob Denman, Executive Director of the PACE Group and President of the PACE Canada LP.

“Alberta is one of the best areas for business development for clean technology, and PACE makes it an ideal location for Canada’s future as we expand our presence in the clean energy sector through solar energy and move to more energy storage and green hydrogen.”

PACE Canada also said that Invest Alberta’s efforts to work closely with the company to provide information and analysis on federal and provincial policies and potential incentives attracted it to Calgary and linked the firm to local partners to help relocate it.

The state is trying to diversify its economy by expanding Alberta’s clean technology sector, which has the potential to create $ 61 billion in gross domestic product and 170,000 jobs by 2050.

Due to factors such as topography and climate, Alberta generally has more potential for large-scale solar projects than British Columbia. Alberta is home to a growing number of solar array projects, including future large-scale projects such as the 120 MW solar farm near Edmonton International Airport (YEG) and the Amazon-supported 80 MW solar farm near Calgary. Earlier this year, Amazon completed a solar installation on the roof of one of its distribution facilities near YEG.

“Alberta’s clean energy sector has grown tremendously over the past decade with high levels of capital investment,” said Rick Christianse, CEO of Invest Alberta.

“Alberta’s high-quality talent, competitive regulatory environment and low corporate taxes ensure that companies like PACE build and succeed in Alberta with unlimited speed.”

PACE Canada is co-owned by British parent company Pathfinder Clean Energy and German clean energy firm Goldbeck Solar.

Famous Indian singer Chinmayi Sripaada shared a photo of the newly cleaned roof solar panels at her mother-in-law’s house in Chennai on social media, noting how her family uses clean energy as energy demand increases during extreme heat.

In response, one million Twitter followers responded by asking about the price of solar panels, where they can get more information, and how to install them in their homes.

Sitting on a traditional swing in a living room in the leafy Chennai neighborhood of Sripaada, which writes songs for Indian films, Thomson told the Reuters Foundation: “I answered everyone who had questions and shared details of how we did it.”

“To be honest, I was waiting for questions, because they (the government) do not make it easy for anyone,” he said. “The information disseminated by the government is almost inaccessible, and even if people are interested in solar energy, they refuse after a while.”

By law, the solar panel has just been cleaned. There has been no real account for 3, maybe 4 years and the excess amount is donated to the EB 🙂

The transition to solar energy was the best. pic.twitter.com/tP9IZNSCpK

– Chinmayi Sripaada (hinChinmayi) April 2, 2022

According to the Indian Meteorological Department, India has seen the hottest march in more than 100 years, and officials forecast normal maximum temperatures in many areas in April.

The hot weather has already seen an increase in the use of air conditioning and is expected to be in higher demand throughout the Indian summer.

According to the government, states including Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Rajasthan, Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra and Meghalaya recorded the highest energy demand growth rates in March.

Today, 40 percent of the electricity installed in India comes from renewable sources such as solar, wind and water.

According to the Indian Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, only 5.7 gigawatts (GW) of solar-powered roofing projects were built until last November – only part of the 40 GW roof solar target by the end of 2022.

The Asian Development Bank’s 2021 report notes that the residential sector is the worst of all solar-powered roofs in India.

According to researchers and consumer campaigners, the high cost of installing solar panels and delays in obtaining meters and obtaining state permits are the main reasons for low awareness of solar energy on the roofs of people’s homes.

Although residents know about the national roof solar scheme, most do not have specific details about technology, costs, maintenance requirements, performance, and system life.

“Awareness is not a priority for provincial governments, because they have it now [thermal] K Vishnu Mohan Rao, a researcher at the Nonprofit Civic Consumer and Civic Action Group (CAG), sees energy distribution utilities and solar energy as competition.

“There is information, but the whole point of awareness is to help people hide a complex system. No one is violating the logistics of installing solar energy on the roof for residents in India, ”he said.

One of the most popular alternatives for residents of apartment blocks with limited roof space is “digital solar energy”. Here, customers invest in panels installed in schools, shopping malls and other sites in exchange for loans to electricity accounts.

A 2019 study by the Energy, Environment and Water Nonprofit Council in the New Delhi neighborhood found that word of mouth is the most common source of information for residents, followed by solar vendors, television and electricity companies.

Rao has a similar experience in Chennai and other parts of Tamil Nadu, where CAG conducts awareness and awareness programs using posters, videos, and demonstrations, allowing people to “touch and feel” the solar panel.

Selna Saji, head of policy and marketing strategy at SunEdison Renewable Energy, said: “The responsibility and cost of raising awareness now lies with retailers.

“But governments have a wider scope and are a more reliable source for people. The impact of the government promoting solar energy on the roof and saying it is good for people will be greater and will result in a faster transition to green energy, ”he said.

Officials from the New and Renewable Energy Ministry were not immediately available for comment.

However, in a 2021 parliamentary committee report on energy, the ministry said it periodically asked executive bodies to inform the public about the benefits of solar energy on the roof through the media, seminars and conferences.

He also developed a mobile app and a SPIN website to inform consumers about how to install solar energy on the roof, and asked all states to do the same.

‘Zero rupees’ banknotes

The 37-year-old singer Sripaada said she posted her weekend post about solar energy on the roof because summer is coming and she thought people might be interested in learning more about the transition.

She previously shared social media followers’ failures and frustrations by trying to persuade residents of her mother’s apartment block to install panels by informing them about her family’s solar-powered journey on the roof.

“It’s definitely getting warmer, and we’re seeing an increasing energy deficit every summer as more air conditioners run and demand for power increases. “People are now paying more for power.”

But my father-in-law has been receiving electricity, which has been written as “zero rupees” since a solar panel was installed on the roof. It can also re-energize the extra energy it creates. This is a victory and I will do my best to promote it, “he added.