The Development and Design of Community-Scale Solar Powered Reverse Osmosis Systems for Challenging Environments

The need for clean renewable energy is critical, as is the need for clean water. It is widely believed that, in the next 20 to 25 years, 20 to 30 percent of the world’s power will need to come from clean, renewable sources. Potential sources of energy include: wind, solar and nuclear power, as well as bio-fuels and clean coal (with carbon capture). It is unlikely that any one source will meet the entire world’s energy needs — a collection of different technologies will be needed. Since solar energy is anticipated to be a primary contributor to large scale renewable energy, it is a major priority for research and development.
Current solar energy devices include:

(*) Photovoltaic (PV) modules made of semiconductor materials that use solar radiation to generate electric potential and current;
(*) Solar thermal systems that harness the power of solar radiation to generate temperature gradients used to drive a thermodynamic cycle involving a working fluid;
()* Solar power concentration systems that use a variety of optical (i.e., mirror) configurations to focus the sun’s radiation on small areas.

The work in this proposal will initially (for first two and half years) be principally focused on small and medium scale applications, with a particular focus on the use of solar energy to power reverse osmosis desalination facilities. Subsequently (in the third year), work will begin on developing solar applications for large-scale systems. At a later stage (during 4th and 5th years), development of large-scale systems will be expanded and integrated with the research on smaller-scale solar devices.

The project will focus on the design, control and manufacturing methodologies for solar-powered devices. A major focus of this work will be to make the systems more efficient, robust, and economically feasible, especially in challenging environments, such as the deserts of Saudi Arabia and the seaside locations of Haiti, and the Mediterranean Sea.

We propose to integrate computer modeling, physical experiments, and innovative thinking in our research. The phenomena within these systems will be modeled–simulations and engineering performances will be analyzed and iteratively improved. When appropriate, existing commercial analysis and design software will be used. Physical experiments will serve to validate the computer models and to further refine the designs. Experimental setups and data acquisition systems will be established both at MIT and at KFUPM. In order to improve robustness, selected aspects of the environment and life cycle will be simulated in the computer models and experimental set-ups. For example, the degrading effects of dirt and sand on solar collectors and panels are critical problems in deserts. This will be evaluated and counter-measures will be developed. In addition, the manufacturing processes of selected systems and components will be analyzed and new manufacturing methods will be suggested to improve reliability, lower costs, and enhance ecological sustainability. Finally, optimal and adaptable real-time control-architectures will be developed to enhance system performance in the unpredictable and changing conditions found in challenging environments. In the 3rd and 4th years of the project, the knowledge and expertise developed in first two years will be applied to develop modular, reconfigurable solar systems and to develop methods and software to support design of such systems. In the 5th year of the project, in addition to the validation of various aspects of the design control and optimization methodology previously developed, the work will be extended to include problems of technology transfer and the definition of road maps to commercialization.