Desalination of seawater using geothermal energy to meet future fresh water demand of Saudi Arabia

Article

Chandrasekharam, D., Lashin, A., Al Arifi, N., Al Bassam, A. and Varun, C.. 2017. "Desalination of seawater using geothermal energy to meet future fresh water demand of Saudi Arabia." Water Resources Management. 31 (3), pp. 781-792. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11269-016-1419-2
Article Title

Desalination of seawater using geothermal energy to meet future fresh water demand of Saudi Arabia

ERA Journal ID30189
Article CategoryArticle
AuthorsChandrasekharam, D. (Author), Lashin, A. (Author), Al Arifi, N. (Author), Al Bassam, A. (Author) and Varun, C. (Author)
Journal TitleWater Resources Management
Journal Citation31 (3), pp. 781-792
Number of Pages12
Year2017
Place of PublicationNetherlands
ISSN0920-4741
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.

KeywordsCO2 emissions; desalination; food security; geothermal; Saudi Arabia
ANZSRC Field of Research 2020370799. Hydrology not elsewhere classified
410406. Natural resource management
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Byline AffiliationsIndian Institute of Technology, India
King Saud University, Saudi Arabia
GeoSyndicate Power, India
Institution of OriginUniversity of Southern Queensland
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