Integrating Renewable Energy Sources in Desalination: Comparing Green Hydrogen and Solar-Powered Plant

Freshwater shortages are becoming a serious problem around the world, especially in dry areas where natural water is hard to find. Desalination, especially using Reverse Osmosis (RO), is a key method to provide clean water. But traditional desalination uses a lot of energy and mostly relies on fossil fuels, which release large amounts of greenhouse gases and harm the environment over time. To help solve this, the study looks at using green hydrogen with desalination plants. Green hydrogen is made by splitting water using electricity from renewable sources like solar and wind. This clean hydrogen can then be used in fuel cells to power the desalination process and cut down on carbon emissions. This study analyzes the energy needs for hydrogen production via PEM electrolysis using renewable energy. It models a small-scale reverse osmosis desalination unit (۱ m³/hour capacity) treating brackish water. Electrolysis efficiency is ۶۰–۷۰%, and hydrogen fuel cell efficiency is ۵۰–۶۰%. Two system configurations are compared: one powered directly by solar energy, and another using green hydrogen as an energy intermediary. The findings indicate that integrating green hydrogen with desalination technologies can substantially reduce the overall energy demand and mitigate the associated carbon emissions.

کلیدواژه ها:

Reverse Osmosis ، Green hydrogen ، Fuel cells ، Electrolysis ، Desalination