Egyptian and UK researchers team up on low cost desal

Port Said University in Egypt and the UK’s University of Sheffield are to develop a system that integrates hybrid biogas and solar energy generation with desalination.

The two-year project aims to test the potential for integrating the hybrid energy system with thermal and electrical-based desalination. It will investigate whether biogas is a feasible backup to solar, and at the same time find ways to optimise fresh water production.

The initiative involves a survey of biogas resources in Egypt, model-based design and optimisation of the desalination system, and an investigation of operational strategies to ensure low cost and reliable drinking water supply to rural communities.

“This project will consider how to maximise fresh water production at the lowest cost, and will investigate how different wastes can produce the most energy to supply the system,” said Dr Mark Walker, research associate at Energy 2050 at the University of Sheffield.