Solar desalination: A review of recent developments in environmental, regulatory and economic issues

Abstract

The aim of the current study was to provide a review of recent developments in solar desalination from the viewpoint of environmental, regulatory, and economic aspects. The analysis attempted to give better insight into the larger question of why more solar desalination plants are not being established by reviewing different technologies, drivers, barriers, and markets. Critical barriers which were dependent on the level of regional development were found to be uncertainty of government subsidies and a lack of regulatory policies. A new tool called a Pareto frontier may be utilized to generate optimal points in complex scenarios with a high number of variables. This all-inclusive method should be employed in any major decision-making process. Furthermore, in exciting innovative research studies, a sustainable Janus wood evaporator was developed that overcame many of the current solar desalination problems. While subsidies were crucial in the growth of renewable energy programs, barriers in deployment of solar desalination systems still exist such as low electricity tariff structures and fragmented energy policies. The overall trend was towards integration of renewable energy with conventional sources and energy storage systems.