Saudi Solar Powered Desalination Plant

The plant in jubail was the world s largest desalination plant when it was built in 2009.

Saudi solar powered desalination plant.

Saudi arabia is burdened by a limited access to renewable and non renewable sources of water. Siemens austria has produced and installed the world s first large scale solar powered desalination plant. To be built in al khafji city the al khafji desalination plant will be one of the world s first large scale solar powered desalination plants. A spanish company has just been awarded a contract to build the world s largest solar powered desalination plant in the kingdom of saudi arabia.

Abengoa will build the 15mw solar pv facility with tracking and expects it to provide all the desalination plant s energy needs during peak output which in saudi arabia will be for much of the daylight hours. The plant in saudi arabia is controlled according to the solar energy available in order that the highest possible proportion of renewable energy is used for water desalination. The solar powered plant has been designed to reduce power consumption and a has pre treatment phase that will reduce the high level of salinity and the oil and fats that are present in the region s sea water. The world currently produces approximately 30 billion cubic metres of freshwater by desalination annually a number that is predicted to double in the next decade to meet global demand.

This led to an unsustainable management of this vital resource and pushed the country towards desalination. When it does come on line the solar power and desalination components will likely operate separately insiders say. High energy consumption which in turns drives further greenhouse gas emissions and harmful discharge of hyper saline brine. Citing the recently announced metito plant in saudi arabia reportedly powered by solar pv he noted that when night falls the plant will switch to grid power.

But a 2015 attempt by swcc to commission a 15 megawatt solar pv powered desalination plant at al khafji in saudi arabia is behind schedule. In addition to reaching far flung places that lack access to the energy grid the battery free solar powered desalination unit mitigates two main challenges associated with conventional desalination plants. The plant to supply al khafji city in the north east of the country will produce 60 000 cubic metres of water a day. Image courtesy of advanced water technology.

Along with the electrical monitoring and control technology siemens also supplied the transformers for the power supply system. Alarcón padilla contends that the only truly 100 solar desalination is with csp due to its ability to supply firm energy for long durations with thermal energy storage tes.