Ambient energy for low-cost water desalination

The paper presents the results of a feasibility study to assess the potential of ambient energy in producing low-cost desalinated water. The proposed method uses conventional off-the-shelf desalination equipment linked up to an innovative energy harvesting system made of extruded aluminium planks which form part of the building and which is able to provide low-cost energy for the desalination process. The most common energy collection system forms an engineered roof of a building. Water is pumped through this roof to collect solar and ambient energy that can then be used for a variety of applications. Results from an EC-funded feasibility study to assess the potential of using ambient energy to produce fresh water from seawater are presented here. It is felt that the technology offers good potential for water desalination in arid and semi-arid regions of the world where there is an abundance of solar and ambient energy.

It is clear from the feasibility study that ambient energy can be used for water desalination in temperate climates. In hotter countries where there is more solar energy available, the potential for using the technology to produce low-cost desalination systems is even more significant. The application of ambient energy for water desalination is continuing, and it is intended to explore commercial-scale water desalination using MSF/MED evaporation techniques in arid and semi-arid parts of the world where there are water shortages. There is a strong need for a versatile solution that has flexibility so that small- and large-scale units are equally feasible so that systems that are readily applicable to individual users or for isolated small communities can be realized. Other applications of the ambient technology include domestic houses, hospitals, nursing homes, hotels, schools, industrial processes, industrial and commercial buildings, swimming pools, horticultural applications, agriculture and sewage treatment. Some of these applications are being actively pursued by the University of Portsmouth/Ambient Energy Systems Group and progress will be reported in future papers.