The modular design of photovoltaic reverse osmosis systems: making technology accessible to nonexperts

Abstract

Photovoltaic reverse osmosis systems can provide water to many underserved communities. These systems need to be custom-tailored for the water demand, solar insolation, and water characteristics of a specific location. Systems can be constructed from modular components to be cost effective. Designing a custom system composed of modular components is not a simple task. For a given modular inventory, a large number of possible system configurations exist. Determining the best system configuration is a daunting task for a small community without expertise. This paper presents a computer-based modular design method that can enable nonexperts to configure such a system for their community from an inventory of modular components. The method employs fundamental engineering principles to reduce the number of possible configurations and optimization methods to configure a system. Examples cases for a range of communities demonstrate the power of this approach.

Keywords:

• Photovoltaic reverse osmosis
• System design
• Optimization

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank the King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, for funding the research reported in this paper through the Center for Clean Water and Clean Energy at MIT and KFUPM. The authors would like to thank Leah Kelley, Elizabeth Reed, and Aditya Bhjule for their assistance during this work. The authors also acknowledge the Cyprus Institute for their partial financial support of Amy Bilton.

Notes

Presented at the International Conference on Desalination for the Environment, Clean Water and Energy, European Desalination Society, 23–26 April 2012, Barcelona, Spain