Perspectives on Dual-Purpose Smart Water Power Infrastructures for Households in Arid Regions

In hot arid climates, freshwater and power are produced simultaneously through seawater desalination since these regions receive little rainfall. This results in a unique urban water/power cycle that often faces sustainability and resilience challenges. Elsewhere, such challenges have been addressed through smart grid technologies. This chapter explores opportunities and initiatives for implementing smart grid technologies at household level for a case study in Qatar. A functional dual-purpose smart water/power nanogrid is developed. The nanogrid includes multiloop systems for on-site water recycling and on-site power generation based on sustainability concepts. A prototype dual-purpose GSM-based smart water/ power nanogrid is assembled and tested in a laboratory. Results of case study implementation show that the proposed nanogrid can reduce energy and water consumptions at household level by 25 and 20%, respectively. Economic analysis shows that implementing the nanogrid at household level has a payback period of 10 years. Hence, larger-scale projects may improve investment paybacks. Extension of the nanogrid into a resilient communal microgrid and/or mesogrid is discussed based on the concept of energy semantics. The modularity of the nanogrid allows the design to be adapted for different scale applications. Perspectives on how the nanogrid can be expanded for large scale applications are outlined. is expected to rise in large-scale applications. Payback analysis shows that the combined smart water power nanogrid is moderately attractive and yet environmentally friendly by nature. Prototype tests demonstrated that the proposed system could function properly when implemented in homes. Improvements in gray water collection and treatment processes could result in more benefits. A future improvement of the prototype is to devise the capability to identify the number of leaks as well as determine the exact location of the leaks. Results of such findings can shed light on the further contribution of nanogrids in reducing (a) water losses and (b) water and energy consumptions, thus making homes more energy efficient.