POTENTIAL USE OF SMALL-SCALE DESALINATION UNITS IN REMOTE ARID LOCALITIES

Abstract

Water and energy are the two most fundamental ingredients of modern civilization. As the world’s population grows in number and affluence, the demands for both resources are increasing faster than ever. According to the World Health Organization, approximately 2.4 billion people live in highly water-stressed areas. Reports on the availability of potable water in Africa have listed Algeria among 17 African countries affected by water shortage. In theory, the current water availability per capita in Algeria is 500 m3, down from 1, 500 m3 in 1962. It is projected that it will further reduce to 450 m3 in 2020. Algeria abounds with natural resources such as oil and gas. However, Algeria is lacking in one very essential resource: water. The lack of fresh water in different remote parts of Algeria hinders the development of the communities in these areas. Fortunately, the solar potential of Algeria ranks among the highest in the world. The annual sunshine duration reaches 2000 hrs all over the territory and 3900 hrs in the Sahara. The received energy is 1700 kWh/ m2/year in the north, 1900 kWh// m2/year in high plains and 3000 kWh// m2/year in the Sahara. This makes solar distillation a feasible solution to the problem in these areas. Several techniques for sea water (brackish water) desalination are now in use. But solar distillation remains the most economic and effective technique for plants with small capacities, having low investment and operation costs. Considerable attention has recently been given to the use of solar energy in sea and brackish water distillation. The work described below falls within an area of international interest as it deals with the optimum use of renewable energies. This work provides studies dealing with small scale distillation for low-density population areas using solar energy.