Introduction

Many regions of the world are turning to desalination in their effort to match the increasing demand with the available natural resources. The water crisis is intensified by climate change, which seems to be already affecting the water cycle, resulting in long periods of drought. The desalination industry has responded well to the increasing demand and is constantly evolving by reducing the costs and reliably producing high quality water.

Most innovations focus on reducing the energy demand which is associated with high operating costs. However, desalination processes will always require considerable amounts of energy. If conventional energy sources are used, they contribute to climate change, which, in turn, affects the water cycle and intensifies the original problem which desalination was intending to solve.

Renewable energy (RE) sources have to be used to meet at least part of the power requirements if desalination is to remain a viable option in a world with a changing climate. The ProDes project supports the wider use of renewable energy for desalination through various activities. This article highlights some of the project results.

Background

The scientific community has been working for decades on optimising technological combinations where the desalination process is powered directly by renewable sources; thermal energy, electricity or shaft power. More recently the industry has also recognised the potential market, and various companies are active in this field. There are many technologies at various stages of technological development, each addressing different market segments.

Most technologies have already been tested extensively and the water generation costs are estimated based on operational experience and real data. However, the practical experience with CSP-MED (concentrated solar power – multi effect desalination) and Wave-RO (reverse osmosis) is limited; therefore the stated costs reflect technology developers’ assessments of the technology when fully developed.

Market Strategy

RE-desalination has huge potential as it can eventually compete for a large share of the total desalination market, which is estimated to be worth on average around US$8 billion per year for the period 2010 to 2020. The ProDes project, with input from various key actors from the industry and academia, has published a Road Map including the main barriers impeding the implementation of RE-desalination and ways to overcome them.

For implementing the suggested strategies, several activities and resources are needed. The key recommendation is to formalise the RE-desalination community into a body which will represent the sector and lobby for its interests. This body is mentioned as the ‘RE-Desalination Association’ in the Road Map, and the target is to have it established before 2012 and to include as many organisations from the field as possible, so as to be self-financed from the member’s contributions. The other activities identified as priorities can be best carried out through the Association and include:
• Target a 3-5% share of the global desalination market by 2016.
• Define the R&D priorities which will benefit the entire sector and promote these priorities to bodies that fund R&D.
• Support the wider establishment of RE-desalination education and training activities reaching 2,000 students and 500 professionals per year within Europe by 2015.
• Coordinate the development of a comprehensive market analysis on a country by country basis, covering the four most promising markets by 2014.
• Develop and promote appropriate legal structures and policies on a country by country basis, starting with the four most promising markets by 2015.
• Raise awareness about the technology and demonstrate its market potential.

ProDes achievements

The ProDes project has been very active and several results have been achieved, starting with the implementation of the strategy outlined above. Through consultation with the companies and institutes active in the field, a first screening of R&D priorities has been done, as outlined below:
• R&D of components suitable for RE-Desalination, like adaptation of energy recovery systems for small-scale plants, automated and environmental friendly pre- and post-treatment.
• R&D of components suitable for the smooth and efficient coupling of the existing desalination and renewable energy technologies.
• Support development of elements that will make RE-desalination robust for long stand-alone operation in harsh environments.
• Support development of components and control systems that allow desalination technologies to deal better with variable energy input.
• Support development of co-generation systems that produce water and power.

The consortium members have established a work group on RE-desalination, as part of the European Desalination Society. The mission of the group is to link the research community with the needs of the industry and the market on a European level and to update the Road Map contents when necessary. The first event was organised in the EDS conference in Baden-Baden in 2009.

RE-desalination has also been introduced to the higher education system, as well as professionals, in Greece, Italy, Portugal and Spain. Networking events have been organised to fill the gap in information flow between entities that have products close to commercialisation with actors that can take these products and introduce them to the markets where the suitable end-users are. One event has been organised in each of the target countries (Greece, Italy, Spain, Portugal).

ProDes is also dealing with the difficulty faced by the SMEs (Small Medium Enterprise) of the field to secure the capital they need for further product development or for concrete project implementation. A guideline document has been produced based on input from the investor community, providing valuable insight to the requirements they have for providing the funding needed. The analysis of three selected markets with potential for exporting European RE-desalination products should be useful to SMEs aiming to expand their markets. The regions analysed are Middle East and North Africa, Oceania and South Africa.

Upcoming Activities

In the coming months ProDes will deal with the institutional and legal framework conditions which affect RE-desalination, such as the tariff structures. Concrete recommendations for improvements will be developed and communicated to decision-makers through a dedicated event in each country. The main elements of a scheme for financial support for RE-desalination have also been developed and the final report will be presented to key stakeholders, promoting more efficient use of current public spending in the form of subsidies in order to support sustainable solutions in line with the social and environmental policies.