A concept for a hybrid solar water purification and photovoltaic system

A new concept for a hybrid solar water purification and photovoltaic system for meeting the needs for clean water and electricity in one integrated, autonomous, and cost-effective system is presented in this article. The purified water and power (PWAP) receiver comprises two devices fully integrated into a single unit, using two functionally discrete sub-modules. These two sub-modules can be assembled in two different physical arrangements: (a) one inside the other, whereby the encapsulated photovoltaic cells are embedded into the photo-catalytic reactor; or (b) one above the other, whereby the photovoltaic cells are attached to the photo-catalytic reactor by means of a common encapsulation. Spectral division of a simple PWAP structure, photovoltaic and photo-catalytic output, and associated losses are analysed. In this hybrid system, it has to be remarked that the photovoltaic power output is reduced to the benefit of the water purification process, as only part of the spectrum is used for photovoltaic conversion due to the selective absorption in the different materials. Potential sites for hybrid electricity and water purification systems include both rural and urban areas. Of particular interest are the urban regions of the developing world, which may represent a larger addressable market due to their specific needs. An initial analysis of this potential has been conducted for the case of India. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.