they'll make a killing in the sea salt market
Posted on 03/12/2016 6:15:07 PM PST by 2ndDivisionVet
DOHA: Monsson Group, leading company in renewable energy, yesterday announced its entry into the Qatari market with its Reverse Osmosis water desalination powered by renewable energy.
The project is located in a farm owned by Ali Hussain Ali Al Sada and it is arguably the first fully automated and remotely controlled plant, with low energy consumption and without operating personnel.
This new desalination plant is the answer to the rising energy demands coupled with diminishing fossil fuel reserves.
It is the first of many such farms in Qatar for which Monsson will provide solutions. Using renewable energy technologies, Monsson is able to have a secure supply of sustainable electricity generation through photovoltaic and wind technology for the desalination plants installed in Qatar. Monsson Group said in a statement yesterday.
Monsson's commitment is finding energy solutions in nature.
Monsson has focused on renewable energy since 2004 and is one of the leading companies in Europe in the development of renewable energy projects.
Its portfolio prides itself with more than 2400 MW projects developed and 1000 MW already constructed and in operation.
Backed by a workforce of 500 specialized employees, Monsson performs a wide range of services that covers the whole life cycle of a renewable energy project and desalination plant, comprising of: development, construction, operation, maintenance, service and electricity trading.
"Water, energy and food demands are increasing worldwide. This is mainly due to population growth and industrialisation. Simultaneously, fossil fuel reserves are diminishing. Our goal for Qatar is to bring technical solutions for the production of fresh water and food, in a sustainable way, that's not dependent on fossil energy. We have found this solution in nature" said Costin Lupu, Director Middle East and Africa.
First beneficiary of this state of the art project, Ali Hussain Ali Al Sada proudly added: "The increasing global demand to find solutions for climate change is today's problem that has an impact on tomorrow. Hence this project was created to offer fresh desalinated drinking water as well as water for irrigation purposes in the production of food."
"Through tapping the forces of nature we can now have a consistent supply and a sustainable electricity generation at a low maintenance cost," he said.
The new desalination plant has many advantages, among them is that it
enables fresh water to be produced cheaper than the water purchased and transported by trucks. This way even very remote locations can be supplied with energy and fresh water at reasonable costs, thus benefiting remote communities. Looking ahead, the operating units could have full service agreements in place for more than 10 years.
This technology allows the desalination plants and energy capacities to be extended to other locations. The generating power has the flexibility to be used for desalination and for other energy purposes in the farm. Additionally, specially designed green houses for desert conditions can also be constructed, permitting year round vegetable production.
This exciting new project promises to preserve precious fossil fuel reserves and signals a bright future for renewable energy in Qatar.
It almost never rains in Qatar so this might work there.
Makes you wonder why they need wind power could not solar alone suffice?
“...enables fresh water to be produced cheaper than the water purchased and transported by trucks.”
I guess that statement provides an excellent detail economic analysis of the project .... water purchased and transported by trucks from South Africa?
“enables fresh water to be produced cheaper than the water purchased and transported by trucks.”
Wonder how they get the water to consumers. Pipes? Maybe.
Plus tons of salt for their salted pork. ;)
right off the bat I read this “Monsson is able to have a secure supply of sustainable electricity generation through photovoltaic and wind technology for the desalination plants installed in Qatar. Monsson Group said in a statement yesterday.
“
Already suspicious, as the wind don’t always blow and the sun don’t always shine. I bet anything I own that what this is really a renewable SYSTEM which has this wind/solar as primary but includes a backup that runs on natural gas, of which Qatar has enormous amounts.
It is the same way in the USA: ALL renewable power generation has natural gas or a liquid fuel backup system to take into account the unreliability of wind/solar.
And what the desalination fools do not understand is the enormity of the solid residues after seawater us made into fresh water. Huge amounts of salts and very very bad metallic are always present.
What are the KW inputs and the Gallons H2O outputs?
What is the cost per KW?
How does that compare with fossil, nuclear or other desalination power sources?
I caught that as well but if the water produced during the daytime is adequate, the system works. Solar is getting better, slowly.
they'll make a killing in the sea salt market
makes for a woefully inefficient enterprise if the enormous installation sits idle for much of the 24 hours, doesn’t it?
seen electricity plants sitting idle much that are not wind or solar?
It does not pay to be idle.
Lol. Yup.
Civilization progresses as first energy costs and now water/energy costs stair step downward.
In the next 10 years there will be a big step down in water desalination and transport costs. The step will be so big that it
will make desalinated water cheap enough for desert farming anywhere in the world.
The effect of this will be to to turn all the world’s deserts green and double the size of habitable earth.
This utube tells the story in more detail.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yCo4SKynckE&feature=youtu.be
simply OUTSTANDING!!! and if they crack water at the same time they can use the hydrogen to make electricity to run/help run the process
Cute video of “possibilities” but no details that are relative to the referenced article. Using the same level of detail as the video, what is the cost per acre foot of water at this plant? What is the operational “up time” for the renewable energy power source? In fact what is the renewable energy power source ... solar, geo, wind, ethanol? How about some facts and not hype!
True. There were few details. Just an overview.
But both Israel and Singapore are achieving price points of $500@acre foot. They’re using RO.
The desal operations I mentioned in Australia and California are using solar thermal. The solar thermal desalination plant in Australia is used only for a greenhouse operations. There they have to supplement it with diesal during nights to warm the greenhouses. But this is only the first generation. It makes much more sense to store solar thermal in molten salt—and use the stored heat at night. This is not an issue in the central valley in california where the solar thermal plant is used for just desalinized water
Not mentioned is a recent innovation in El Paso where the desalination plant is drying out all its salt concentrate and selling the minerals and water—which effectively turns a cost center into a profit center.
As well recent work coming out of Israel shows that its much more cost effective to take coastal salt water from underground aquifers — especially during the summer because impingement and entrainment costs are much lower. (There are fewer wee beasties in the aquifer to cause biofouling)
The big cahuna that I didn’t talk about at all but which people in the 4th generation nuclear engineering know all about—is that in about 5 years the the beta’s of these portable nuclear power plants that use waste nuclear fuel and thorium will come out. In 10 years or so they’ll go mainstream. (Bill Gates thinks it may by 15 years before they go into full production.) These nuclear power plant will cut the cost of electricity to half the cheapest coal/natural gas in the 1st and 2nd generation and go down from there.
That’s where desalination hits the price points that change the world.
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