Feasibility study of replacing solar energy in order to provide different energies, especially desalination of water required by a building

Subject Areas : Renewable Energy

essmail  mohisenpour ¹ (M.Sc. Student, Department of Energy Engineering and Economics, Faculty of Natural Resources and Environment, Azad University, Science and Research Branch, Tehran, Iran.)
Mohammad Ali  Ehyaei ² (Assistant Professor, Department of Engineering, Pardis Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran.)
Ashkan  Abdalisousan ³ (Assistant Professor, Department of Technology and Engineering, Astara Branch, Islamic Azad University, Astara, Iran. *(Corresponding Authors))

Received: 2021-06-02 Accepted : 2021-09-22 Published : 2022-02-20

Keywords: reverse osmosis, Exergy, Internal Rate of Returne, Solar panel, Payback Period,

Abstract :

Background and Objective: Today in the world we are facing a shortage of fresh water and to overcome this important issue all countries in the world are looking to desalinate water in different ways to meet the needs of their country. The use of renewable energy is a good way to supply the energy needed in these units. Material and Methodology: In this study, using the initial data, the amount of electric charge of a residential unit located in Bandar Abbas, for different months of the year was calculated and considering the amount of electricity required, the amount of heating and cooling load using software Carrier was obtained. Also, using the available data, the energy required for the desalination plant and the desired area for the solar panel were calculated. After analyzing the obtained data in terms of energy and exergy, among the water desalination methods, reverse osmosis method was selected that the required source is supplied through seawater. Findings: The maximum required area of ​​the solar panel to supply electricity to the residential unit is about 134 square meters and has the capacity to produce about 9 kW of electricity and the exergy efficiency of these panels at its maximum is about 25%. Also, about 220 liters of drinking water is produced for 4 family members during the day. Economically, the return on investment is about 7 years and with a domestic return of 17%. Discussion and Conclusions: Depending on the generation capacity of the solar panel in the months of the year such as winter that require less energy, the excess electricity generated can be transferred to the distribution network to help generate revenue for the system. Economically, due to the provision of initial capital in this residential unit, it is possible to create a system independent of the distribution network that will also provide the fresh water needed for the residential unit and is recommended for areas facing shortage of drinking water.

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