Integration of wind energy and desalination systems: A review study

Abstract

Desalination is a well-established technology used all over the world to mitigate freshwater scarcity. Wind-powered reverse osmosis plants are one of the most promising alternatives for renewable energy desalination, particularly for coastal areas and islands. Wind energy can satisfy the high energy consumption of desalination while reducing costs and CO2 emissions. However, the mismatch between the intermittent availability of the wind resource and the desalination’s power demand makes the integration between the two technologies critical. This paper presents a review of wind-powered desalination systems, focusing on the existing topologies and technological advances. An overview of the advantages and disadvantages are analysed based on the theoretical and experimental cases available in the scientific literature. The goal of this work is to show the current status of wind-powered desalination and to present the technical challenges that need to be overcome in order to ensure a sustainable freshwater source.