Comparative Assessment of the Energy Consumed by Various Solar-powered Water Desalination Systems

Abstract

This paper focuses on utilizing solar energy for deriving desalination systems to yield freshwater from the sea or brackish water, with less environmental impacts. The paper first discusses the specifications of various solar-driven desalinations and compares their advantages and limitations. Then, a detailed comparison is provided between the energy consumption and water production cost of such systems. These metrics are later compared versus conventional (i.e., fossil fuel) systems. In the end, the most appropriate solar-driven desalinations are recommended based on their energy consumption and water production cost.