Modeling of an Integrated System for Desalination and Hydrogen Production Based on Solar Energy

The accessibility to freshwater is a challenge in the remote island community “Cerrito de los Morreños” in Guayaquil, Ecuador. This work aims to demonstrate the feasibility of an APS/RO/PEMWE integrated system to capture solar energy to produce freshwater and hydrogen as a byproduct. The integrated system was modeled in Matlab/Simulink to estimate the plant's energy demand. Simultaneously, the PV system was dimensioned in Homer Pro based on a typical meteorological year. Results showed a freshwater production of 18 m
³
/day and H
2
generation of up to 13.5 Nm
³
/day at a maximum overall energy efficiency of 52.3%. Also, a CO
2
emission of 27 tons/year might be avoided by using solar energy.