Technical and Economic Optimization of Reverse Osmosis Desalination Systems Integrated with PV/Wind Energy Resources: A Case Study

This paper presents the technical sizing and economic optimization of a stand-alone hybrid renewable energy system coupled to a Reverse Osmosis (RO) sea water desalination plant located at Matrouh city, Egypt. The proposed system includes PV panels, wind turbines, storage batteries, converter and a backup diesel generator. The simulation is analyzed using HOMER software which evaluates the optimal configuration and system sizing according to the lowest cost of energy (COE). The sensitivity analysis, the net present cost (NPC) and pollutant gas emissions are evaluated. The proposed scheme should satisfy the electrical energy required by the RO plant which has a capacity of 300 m(3) fresh water per day. The results proved that the COE of the optimal configuration was $0.282/kWh which consists of 186 kW PV panels, 8 wind turbines 100 kW each and 350 kW diesel generator. This scheme is the most suitable and cost competitive for the mentioned plant compared to the other systems.