Combining offshore wave and wind energy to supply a big size desalination plant

Abstract

this research analyses the feasibility of supplying a large size desalination energy demand by marine renewables. The case study is Las Palmas III seawater desalination plant, the largest desalination plant in the Canary Islands (Spain), which is located in the northeast of the island of Gran Canaria. Its average daily water production is 62,614 m³/day, consuming a total of 90,670 MWh/year. A constant energy production is needed for the optimal plant operation which raises the possibility of using different renewable technologies in order to reduce the energy fluctuations. In this case, the sea and its wave and wind energy resources are key technologies for supplying desalination plants near the coast. For this reason, different configurations have been simulated combining wave farms and analyzing their possible pairing with wind energy to achieve a more stable energy production. The proposed methodology contemplates the identification of the hotspot for the technologies location in terms of environmental constraints and resource assessment. The subsequent selection of the renewable energy technologies and the energy coverage evaluation. Results tried to establish if the combination of offshore wind and wave energy improves the demand coverage.