Decentralized Co-Generation of Fresh Water and Electricity at Point of Consumption
Type
ArticleAuthors
Wang, WenbinAleid, Sara

Wang, Peng

KAUST Department
Biological and Environmental Sciences and Engineering (BESE) DivisionEnvironmental Nanotechnology Lab
Environmental Science and Engineering
Environmental Science and Engineering Program
Water Desalination and Reuse CenterDivision of Biological and Environmental Science and EngineeringKing Abdullah University of Science and Technology Thuwal 23955–6900 Saudi Arabia
Water Desalination and Reuse Research Center (WDRC)
Date
2020-03-09Online Publication Date
2020-03-09Print Publication Date
2020-06Submitted Date
2020-01-15Permanent link to this record
http://hdl.handle.net/10754/662091
Metadata
Show full item recordAbstract
Many in the community believe that additional anthropogenic CO2 in the atmosphere can push the Earth into a vicious cycle and down a path of no return. Consequently, solar energy must sit at the center of the water–energy–climate nexus as the world is shifting into a decarbonized and circular economy. Simultaneous production of electricity and fresh water by photovoltaic-membrane distillation (PV-MD), a newly developed technology, turns waste heat from solar PV panels into a power source to drive an efficient water distillation process. It produces fresh and clean potable-quality water on-site from various water sources with impaired quality, such as seawater, contaminated rivers, lakes, groundwater, and industrial wastewater. Due to the low barrier of entry, it is well suited to providing both electricity and fresh water in decentralized manner for point-of-consumption locations, especially off-grid communities and communities with small- to medium-sized populations even with challenging economic conditions. This essay highlights the potential of PV-MD to supply decentralized water and electricity for regions suffering from both economic and physical water scarcity as well as its promise to contribute to agriculture in (semi)arid regions.Citation
Wang, W., Aleid, S., & Wang, P. (2020). Decentralized Co-Generation of Fresh Water and Electricity at Point of Consumption. Advanced Sustainable Systems, 2000005. doi:10.1002/adsu.202000005Sponsors
The authors are grateful to Virginia Unkefer at Research Operations Office at KAUST for her comments on the essay.Publisher
WileyJournal
Advanced Sustainable SystemsAdditional Links
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/adsu.202000005ae974a485f413a2113503eed53cd6c53
10.1002/adsu.202000005