Environmental Impact of a Floating Photovoltaic Solar Project Supporting a Coastal Reverse Osmosis Plant

Case Study Title:

Environmental Impact of a Floating Photovoltaic Solar Project Supporting a Coastal Reverse Osmosis Plant

Program Description:

This program presents an applied case study on the installation of a floating photovoltaic (PV) solar system with an approximate capacity of 210 kW to support a coastal reverse osmosis desalination plant. The environmental impact of the project is analyzed from multiple perspectives, including:

• Reduction of conventional energy consumption and carbon emissions
• Impact of floating systems on the marine environment
• Operational sustainability under solar variability

General Objective:

Target Audience:

- Operation engineers in desalination plants.

- Energy and renewable energy engineers.

- Environment and sustainability specialists.

- Regulatory and supervisory authorities.

- Researchers in the water and energy sectors.

Program Duration:

Two hours

Training Outcomes:

By the end of the training program, participants will be able to:

- The relationship between energy consumption in reverse osmosis (RO) plants and the carbon footprint, and the role of photovoltaic solar energy in reducing emissions.

- The components of a floating solar energy system and how it integrates with a desalination plant, including its impact on operational loads (such as high-pressure pumps) .

- The environmental impact of a floating solar project on the marine environment, including:

1. Shading effects.

2. Thermal changes.

3. Brine discharge impact.

Program Content:  

 - Introduction: Energy, water, and sustainability

- The relationship between energy and water desalination

- Why shift to RO instead of MSF/MED

- Saudi Arabia’s net-zero targets

- Concept of floating systems

- System components

- Integration with the plant (On-grid / Hybrid)

- Operational challenges