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Solar and wind powered desalination for remote communities
Conference paper   Open access

Solar and wind powered desalination for remote communities

D. Harrison, R. Robinson, G.E. Ho and K. Mathew
Australian Water and Wastewater Association
14th Federal Convention of the Australian Water and Wastewater Association (Perth, Western Australia, 17/03/1991–22/03/1991)
1991
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Abstract

The Remote Area Developments Group of Murdoch University has been investigating the technology of Reverse Osmosis, powered by both photovoltaic panels and windmills, as a means of desalinating drinking water for remote communities. A small RO unit featuring energy recovery has been tested while connected to a solar panel. Daily pumping durations have been extended dramatically by the use of a robust, maintenance free solar tracker and an inexpensive pump optimiser, eliminating the need for batteries or electronic controllers. The Group is developing a larger unit with the aim of producing up to 1000 L/day of fresh water from two solar panels. The design, construction, field testing and performance analysis of a prototype windpowered reverse osmosis (RO) desalination system for remote areas is also discussed. Based on the field tests, a performance model is derived which allows for the prediction of the prototype production given the wind and water characteristics of any location.

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