Desalination for Villages

As the world's population grows, so will its demand for potable water. Communities in arid coastal regions or regions with brackish groundwater, especially island communities, are already experiencing shortages of potable water. Many of these communities are small and remote, such as villages on the islands in the Caribbean and Mediterranean, in arid Australia, coastal South America, and theMiddle East. Several of these communities can meet their water needs through demand management and conservation. However, for many of them, desalination is the most appropriate solution. Desalination consumes a large amount of energy. Many remote villages rely on costly, often limited supplies of diesel fuel for their energy needs. Finding methods of using renewable energy to power the processis, therefore, desirable and to encourage communities in their use. Desalination is an ideal application for a hybrid power system. The desalination system can be operated as a deferable load and improve the load management of the hybrid system.