Economic analysis of an off-grid solar PV for small scale desalination unit

Abstract

Water scarcity, water quality difficulties, floods, and droughts are among the present challenges that climate change may exacerbate. Availability and easy access to safe and clean drinking water are fundamental human rights that have become a global challenge. Desalination of seawater is becoming a fast-growing alternative for water scarcity, due to the significant quantity of energy required to perform this procedure and also a large amount of CO2 emission into the atmosphere while producing this energy, renewable energy is a significant alternative energy source as well as a readily available source of clean energy. Wind and solar power, in particular, can provide significant economic benefits by bringing electricity to rural areas without transmission lines. The off-grid Photovoltaic (PV) system is one that is not linked to the power grid. This means that the entire amount of energy produced is stored and used on-site. The specific goal of this study is to identify and assess the use of renewable energy for an off-grid photovoltaic system in small-scale desalination units, aiming to reduce water demand in an environmentally friendly manner. The data used are secondary in nature, primarily summarizing different articles and papers from previous research. The method used in this study is a meta-analysis (a literature review). This paper concluded that an off-grid solar PV system for small-scale desalination units is a cost-effective environmental solution because generating energy from renewable sources has no or less environmental consequences and reduces air pollution.