Efficiency, cost, and carbon footprint considerations in analysing hybrid solar thermal-photovoltaic desalination systems

Solar desalination has emerged as an advantageous approach for the sustainable production of freshwater, offering benefits such as minimal environmental impact. The primary objective of this work is to reduce specific energy consumption costs while enhancing the overall performance of the solar desalination system. From this study, it is observed that hybridising the desalination system contributes significantly less to carbon emissions than conventional methods. Increasing research into membrane technologies reveals that they are suitable for stand-alone use, although the initial costs are high. Most current studies have been conducted on integrating photovoltaic thermal technology into conventional thermal and membrane technologies. This study also reviews solar photovoltaic thermal technologies coupled with desalination systems, examining their impact on energy consumption, distillate production, operational cost, and carbon footprint to determine the most suitable type of desalination for a given location and demand. According to the study, capacitive deionisation technology is found to be cheaper per unit volume of fresh water produced. However, electro dialysis technology yields a higher volume of water per day.