INTEGRATED SYSTEM BASED ON SOLAR CHIMNEY AND WIND ENERGY FOR CLEAN ELECTRICITY AND FRESHWATER PRODUCTION

Abstract

Implementing integrated systems to increase the efficiencies of several technologies represents a positive approach. It enables the possibility of using low-efficient technologies by taking advantage of non-optimal locations for renewable energies. In the present study, an integrated system is used to yield electricity and fresh water, with solar chimney and wind turbines as its leading technologies. Initially, a Solar Chimney is analyzed, and several storage material types, including solid and phase change materials, are studied to determine their effects on the energy yield and capacity to prolong the power output during the Sun’s absence. To carry out this work, a Computational Fluid Dynamics model using COMSOL Multiphysics is performed. Furthermore, thermal and membrane-based desalination technologies are included in a cascaded manner to produce fresh water, utilizing the solar chimney storage heat source. In addition, a Pressure-Retarded Osmosis subsystem is incorporated to use the discharged brine from the desalination systems, creating an additional electrical output by recovering brine waste energy. Moreover, Qatar's wind energy potential is examined by generating a wind atlas for the entire country based on ERA-5 data with over 41 years of measurements. Indicating that the North of Qatar presents the best potential, with average speeds of 6.08 m/s and 6.25 m/s for on and off-shore locations, respectively. Based on this, the annual energy production of a small wind farm is modeled using WindSim 10, obtaining a maximum value of 113.51 GWh/y, saving 22,110.80 tons of CO2 in the process. For energy storage purposes, a pumped hydro system is implemented to store freshwater and meet electrical and water demand without interruption. As a result, the integrated system, including a 10 x 3.4 MW wind farm, presents an overall energetic efficiency of 44.22% during the discharge of the water tank and 44.20% while storing the water. These results are significantly higher than a stand-alone solar chimney (0.12%) dedicated to electricity generation only.

Date of Award	2021
Original language	American English
Awarding Institution	HBKU College of Science and Engineering