Implementing Large-Scale Hybrid Desalination System Driven by Alfred Reactor and Parabolic-Trough Solar Power Plant, Equipped with Phase Change Material Storage System: The Case of Emirate

Response to the increasingly serious problems of global water risk in many arid regions of the planet has become a critical concern to governments. One of the best solutions to overcome the water shortage is using large-scale seawater desalination facilities. Currently, in many Western Asia countries with vast non-renewable resources, the fossil-fuel based power plants are considered as the dominant energy sources for driving the desalination plants (DPs). Considering numerous problems with fossil fuels, most of the water-scarce governments over the world are developing the long-term energy strategy of the country based on using sustainable and renewable energies. In this study, a techno-economic evaluation of hybrid DP powered by the Advanced Lead Fast Reactor European Demonstrator (ALFRED) and solar power plant (SPP), equipped with latent thermal storage system is conducted. The obtained results express that almost, 60% of required thermal energy for driving the thermal DP can be obtained by SPP.