Abstract
Semi-arid regions have historically suffered from low water availability. In addition, the increasing frequency and intensity of extreme weather events credited to global climate change has made it increasingly clear that among the challenges faced by society water resource management is extremely necessary. In this context, desalination based on renewable energy resources integrated with production systems that make use of the waste resulting from this process becomes a socio-environmentally indicated alternative to expand existing supply strategies and sustainable water use in isolated locations, and/or areas distant from large urban centers, thus addressing local potential and reducing environmental impacts. This study assesses the use of Photovoltaic Solar Power Plants (PSPPs), as well as of residues generated in a Brackish Water Reverse Osmosis System (BWRO), in productive units linked to fish and family farming. This is as an alternative way to reduce water vulnerability in the Brazilian semi-arid area (BS), adhering to climate change adaptation measures in the light of Brazilian public policies through the Freshwater Program (Programa Água Doce—PAD), which aims to promote access to good quality water to approximately 500 thousand people in the Brazilian semi-arid region.
Highlights
Significant increases in water and energy demands are expected due to the estimated global population increase to 9.7 billion by 2050
This study initially provides a characterization of the semiarid region and an overview of the constraints of water vulnerability at Brazilian semi-arid area (BS)
The present study agrees that the socioeconomic BS problem does not result from droughts, but is the result of a historical-structural formation related to an asymmetric process at the national level, comprising the adoption of new techniques and technologies prioritizing the Brazilian South and Southeast, which that can only be overcome by structural transformations, in which investments to improve water supply can stimulate regional socioeconomic development and reduce inequalities
Summary
Significant increases in water and energy demands are expected due to the estimated global population increase to 9.7 billion by 2050. Accessible freshwater resources suffer negative impacts from anthropogenic actions, as well as damage from extreme weather events, which are potentially aggravated by global climate change In this context, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) estimates that vulnerable populations due to increased water stress can reach up to 2 billion people by 2040 [1,2,3,4]. In Brazil, the surface water availability of around 78,600 m3 /s, 30% of the average water flow, estimated at about 260,000 m3 /s Of this total, the Amazon region, where around 80% of the average water flow is concentrated, contributing 83% of the surface water availability in the country, is where the smallest portion of the population lives (8.72%), it displays the lowest water demand, Energies 2019, 12, 904; doi:10.3390/en12050904 www.mdpi.com/journal/energies
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