Desalination of seawater using geothermal energy to meet future fresh water demand of Saudi Arabia
Article
Article Title | Desalination of seawater using geothermal energy to meet future fresh water demand of Saudi Arabia |
---|---|
ERA Journal ID | 30189 |
Article Category | Article |
Authors | Chandrasekharam, D. (Author), Lashin, A. (Author), Al Arifi, N. (Author), Al Bassam, A. (Author) and Varun, C. (Author) |
Journal Title | Water Resources Management |
Journal Citation | 31 (3), pp. 781-792 |
Number of Pages | 12 |
Year | 2017 |
Place of Publication | Netherlands |
ISSN | 0920-4741 |
1573-1650 | |
Digital Object Identifier (DOI) | https://doi.org/10.1007/s11269-016-1419-2 |
Web Address (URL) | https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs11269-016-1419-2 |
Abstract | The future economy of the Middle East countries (GDP growth) depends on the availability of fresh water for domestic and agricultural sectors. Saudi Arabia, for example, consumes 275 L/day per capita of water that is generated from desalination process using 134 x 106 kWh of electricity. With 6 % population growth rate, demand for fresh water from fossil fuel based desalination plants will grow at an alarming rate. It has been reported that Saudi Arabia’s reliance on fossil fuels to generate electricity and generate fresh water through desalination using the same energy source is economically and politically unsustainable. This may lead to destabilisation of the global economy. However, Saudi Arabia has large geothermal resources along the Red Sea coast that can be developed to generate power and support the generation of fresh water through desalination. The cost of fresh water can be further lowered from the current US$ 0.03/m3. Among the gulf countries, Saudi Arabia can become the leader in controlling CO2 emissions and mitigating the impact on climate change and agricultural production. This will enable the country to meet the growing demand of food and energy for the future population for several decades and to reduce food imports. © 2016, Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht. |
Keywords | CO2 emissions; desalination; food security; geothermal; Saudi Arabia |
ANZSRC Field of Research 2020 | 370799. Hydrology not elsewhere classified |
410406. Natural resource management | |
Public Notes | Files associated with this item cannot be displayed due to copyright restrictions. |
Byline Affiliations | Indian Institute of Technology, India |
King Saud University, Saudi Arabia | |
GeoSyndicate Power, India | |
Institution of Origin | University of Southern Queensland |
https://research.usq.edu.au/item/q5206/desalination-of-seawater-using-geothermal-energy-to-meet-future-fresh-water-demand-of-saudi-arabia
220
total views11
total downloads5
views this month0
downloads this month