Challenges and opportunities of desalination with renewable energy resources in Middle East countries

Abstract

This study investigates the challenges and opportunities of desalination with renewable energy resources in the Middle East. Middle East countries are facing severe water shortages, and have the lowest level of access to freshwater, because most of the available water resources in that area are salty. Economic and population growth in that region has increased the demand for freshwater and led to over-harvesting of groundwater resources. Seawater desalination is considered a potential candidate to meet different water needs in the Middle East. Various desalination technologies have been used in this area, and their energy sources have often been provided from non-renewable sources. The presence of rich fossil resources in these countries and the lack of economic justification for the use of renewable energy resources have prevented their fast growth for desalination applications. In the Middle East, thermal desalination using fossil fuels accounts for 75% of seawater desalination and the remaining 25% is membrane-based. In 2016, that year, the share of renewable energy in seawater desalination was only 1%. The Middle East has 39% of the total desalination capacity worldwide. By 2040, the share of renewable energy in seawater desalination in the Middle East is expected to increase significantly. The reduction of the costs of renewable energy technologies, and the reduction of conventional energy reserves and their environmental effects, will be an incentive to invest in the use of renewable energy for desalination.