Status and prospects for solar desalination in the MENA region

Desalination has become one of the water supply sources in most of the countries in the Middle East and North Africa region. All MENA countries lie in the Sunbelt region and have the space needed for solar technologies. However, utilization of solar energy in desalination is still limited in the MENA region. The success of implementing solar technologies in desalination depends on the progress made in converting solar energy into electrical and thermal energy, as the process of desalination depends on these types of energies. Realizing that desalination is a major consumer of energy and starting to use solar technologies in desalination will increase the demand on these technologies, so making it possible to go for mass production of PV cells, collectors and solar thermal power plants. This would lead eventually to a reduction in cost of these technologies. On the other hand, energy consumption by desalination processes has been reduced significantly in recent years. This means that if solar technologies are used, less PV modules and area for collectors would be needed for each cubic meter of water produced.