Optimal capacity planning of combined renewable energy source-pumped storage and seawater desalination systems

Abstract

As water scarcity is becoming a growing threat to human development, finding effective solutions has become an urgent need. To make better use of water resources, seawater desalination and storage systems using renewable energy sources (RES) are designed and implemented around the world. In this paper, an optimal capacity planning method for RES-pumped storage-seawater desalination (RES-PS-D) system is introduced. The configuration of the RES-PS-D system is clarified first, after which a cost-benefit analysis is performed using all cost and benefit components. A function for determining maximum economic benefits of the RES-PS-D system is then established, and the constraints are proposed based on various limitations. The mixed-integer linear programming algorithm is applied to solve the optimal function. A case study is introduced to validate the feasibility and effectiveness of the method. The conclusion shows that the strategy is suitable for solving the configuration optimization problem, and finally both merits and defects of the method are discussed.