Wind desalination and power: an affordable and renewable solution to address water shortages

There has been a steep increase in investment in more affordable approaches to desalinated seawater using renewable energy sources. This paper proposes desalinating seawater with a pump and a motor-generator installed inside wind turbine nacelles, to desalinate seawater with reverse osmosis membrane...

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Main Authors: Julian David Hunt, Andreas Nascimento, Amaro Olímipio Pereira Junior, Paulo Sergio Franco Barbosa, Walter Leal Filho, Yoshihide Wada
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Taylor & Francis Group 2025-12-01
Series:International Journal of Sustainable Energy
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/14786451.2024.2441844
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author Julian David Hunt
Andreas Nascimento
Amaro Olímipio Pereira Junior
Paulo Sergio Franco Barbosa
Walter Leal Filho
Yoshihide Wada
author_facet Julian David Hunt
Andreas Nascimento
Amaro Olímipio Pereira Junior
Paulo Sergio Franco Barbosa
Walter Leal Filho
Yoshihide Wada
author_sort Julian David Hunt
collection DOAJ
description There has been a steep increase in investment in more affordable approaches to desalinated seawater using renewable energy sources. This paper proposes desalinating seawater with a pump and a motor-generator installed inside wind turbine nacelles, to desalinate seawater with reverse osmosis membranes without electricity. The technology was named Wind Desalination and Power (WDP), as the wind turbine can pump seawater and generate electricity. This study presents a comprehensive analysis and rationale behind the design, estimates its economic viability, and assesses the global potential of the proposed technology. Results demonstrate that the cost for seawater desalination with WDP is 0.64 USD/m3, which is 20% cheaper than conventional wind desalination. The paper shows that WDP has the potential to enhance water resilience in arid regions while at the same time contributing to grid stability and renewable energy integration.
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institution Kabale University
issn 1478-6451
1478-646X
language English
publishDate 2025-12-01
publisher Taylor & Francis Group
record_format Article
series International Journal of Sustainable Energy
spelling doaj-art-2efc7ab6a12c4961b8c8233fd7b6a2e42025-01-03T05:45:20ZengTaylor & Francis GroupInternational Journal of Sustainable Energy1478-64511478-646X2025-12-0144110.1080/14786451.2024.2441844Wind desalination and power: an affordable and renewable solution to address water shortagesJulian David Hunt0Andreas Nascimento1Amaro Olímipio Pereira Junior2Paulo Sergio Franco Barbosa3Walter Leal Filho4Yoshihide Wada5Biological and Environmental Science and Engineering Division, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Thuwal, Saudi ArabiaInstitute of Mechanical Engineering, Federal University of Itajubá, Itajubá, BrazilEnergy Planning Program, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, BrazilInnovation Department, ICPTech-Innovation, Campinas, BrazilSustainable Development and Climate Change Management, Hamburg University of Applied Sciences, Hamburg, GermanyBiological and Environmental Science and Engineering Division, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Thuwal, Saudi ArabiaThere has been a steep increase in investment in more affordable approaches to desalinated seawater using renewable energy sources. This paper proposes desalinating seawater with a pump and a motor-generator installed inside wind turbine nacelles, to desalinate seawater with reverse osmosis membranes without electricity. The technology was named Wind Desalination and Power (WDP), as the wind turbine can pump seawater and generate electricity. This study presents a comprehensive analysis and rationale behind the design, estimates its economic viability, and assesses the global potential of the proposed technology. Results demonstrate that the cost for seawater desalination with WDP is 0.64 USD/m3, which is 20% cheaper than conventional wind desalination. The paper shows that WDP has the potential to enhance water resilience in arid regions while at the same time contributing to grid stability and renewable energy integration.https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/14786451.2024.2441844Wind powerdesalinationenergy storagerenewable energysustainable development
spellingShingle Julian David Hunt
Andreas Nascimento
Amaro Olímipio Pereira Junior
Paulo Sergio Franco Barbosa
Walter Leal Filho
Yoshihide Wada
Wind desalination and power: an affordable and renewable solution to address water shortages
International Journal of Sustainable Energy
Wind power
desalination
energy storage
renewable energy
sustainable development
title Wind desalination and power: an affordable and renewable solution to address water shortages
title_full Wind desalination and power: an affordable and renewable solution to address water shortages
title_fullStr Wind desalination and power: an affordable and renewable solution to address water shortages
title_full_unstemmed Wind desalination and power: an affordable and renewable solution to address water shortages
title_short Wind desalination and power: an affordable and renewable solution to address water shortages
title_sort wind desalination and power an affordable and renewable solution to address water shortages
topic Wind power
desalination
energy storage
renewable energy
sustainable development
url https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/14786451.2024.2441844
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AT andreasnascimento winddesalinationandpoweranaffordableandrenewablesolutiontoaddresswatershortages
AT amaroolimipiopereirajunior winddesalinationandpoweranaffordableandrenewablesolutiontoaddresswatershortages
AT paulosergiofrancobarbosa winddesalinationandpoweranaffordableandrenewablesolutiontoaddresswatershortages
AT walterlealfilho winddesalinationandpoweranaffordableandrenewablesolutiontoaddresswatershortages
AT yoshihidewada winddesalinationandpoweranaffordableandrenewablesolutiontoaddresswatershortages