Feasibility assessment of a BWRO desalination plant powered by renewable energy sources

This paper investigated the technical, economic, and environmental aspects of using six different power plant configurations powered by renewable energy sources (RES), namely photovoltaic (PV) and wind to provide electricity to operate a reverse osmosis brackish groundwater desalination plant (BWRO) with a capacity of 2 m(3)/hr, and load power of 6.5 kW. The BWRO plant is located at the Libyan Center for Solar Energy Research and Studies (LCSERS) in the city of Tajura. The six proposed power plants, backed-up with/out batteries and diesel generator were modeled and simulated using HOMER software. Optimal design configurations resulting from the simulation were then selected based on levelized cost of energy (LCOE) and net present cost (NPC) appropriate to the operating conditions at the site. The study showed that the Grid-Connected photovoltaic power plant (PVGC) yielded the lowest levelized cost of water (LCOW), a direct consequence of its lower cost of energy.