Abstract
In this paper, we scrutinized the energy storage options used in mitigation of the intermittent nature of renewable energy resources for desalination process. In off-grid islands and remote areas, renewable energy is often combined with appropriate energy storage technologies (ESTs) to provide a consistent and reliable electric power source. We demonstrated that in developing a renewable energy scheme for desalination purposes, product (water) storage is a more reliable and techno-economic solution. For a King Island (Southeast Australia) case-study, electric power production from renewable energy sources was sized under transient conditions to meet the dynamic demand of freshwater throughout the year. Among four proposed scenarios, we found the most economic option by sizing a 13 MW solar photovoltaic (PV) field to instantly run a proportional RO desalination plant and generate immediate freshwater in diurnal times without the need for energy storage. The excess generated water was stored in 4 × 50 ML (mega liter) storage tanks to meet the load in those solar deficit times. It was also demonstrated that integrating well-sized solar PV with wind power production shows more consistent energy/water profiles that harmonize the transient nature of energy sources with the water consumption dynamics, but that would have trivial economic penalties caused by larger desalination and water storage capacities.
Highlights
IntroductionThe major restraint for increasing the share of renewable energy sources is their intermittency, which can be addressed through energy storage when available and energy use when needed
Scenario 1: Solar PV + Battery Storage + reverse osmosis (RO) Units. This scenario represents a conventional solar PV power production supplemented by energy storage
For renewable-driven off-grid desalination process, it was demonstrated that energy storage is not an optimal option in comparison with product storage
Summary
The major restraint for increasing the share of renewable energy sources is their intermittency, which can be addressed through energy storage when available and energy use when needed. To bring renewable energy sources (e.g., solar and wind) to independence and reliability, adequate energy storage technologies (ESTs) must be deployed. The role of energy storage systems in integration with renewable energy sources is more evident in the remote and stranded regions where connecting to the nationwide electricity grid is cost prohibitive. There are a number of well-established and enormous developing technologies offering significant potentials to enable energy storage in integration with various renewable sources (Figure 1). Present ESTs can be Energies 2016, 9, 839; doi:10.3390/en9100839 www.mdpi.com/journal/energies loosely categorized as either mechanical, electrical, thermal, and chemical systems [3]. Each category systems [3]
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