Molins de Vent TARRAGÓ: Sustainable seawater desalination with windmills and reverse osmosis systems

Montblanc-Tarragona, 24.11.2011. Researchers of the Delft University of Technology (DUT) have proved in 2008 in Curacao a project combining a commercial windmill TARRAGÓ M5015 with a reverse osmosis (RO) pump. Few days ago, the students in charge of the project at that time, finalized the first demonstration installation in Somaliland (Northern independent part of Somalia).

In coastal areas with a shortage of fresh drinking water, but enough wind, the combination of wind energy and reverse osmosis is a sustainable way to produce drinking water. Based on the results of previous trials using wind turbines in a RO process, the researchers concluded that is worthwhile to store the produced water instead of the electricity.

Because of the energy losses by the transfer of kinetic energy to electric energy and back to kinetic energy again and because of the costs of storage or back up of electricity, the research concentrated on a direct drive of the RO high-pressure pump by the mechanical wind power. No electricity is required and the system can be used in remote areas. The installation has a mechanical dry-run, low speed and high-speed limitation. The Curacao project has proved that a direct mechanical coupling is feasible even for the desalination of high solidity sea water.

The mean strategy of the company founded by the researches of the DUT is to bring this technology on the market in developing countries through stimulation of local entrepreneurship. The RO-wind-system developed by DUT to turn salt water into clean drinking water utilizing solely wind energy (a cheap, simple and reliable technology) has, with the installation in Somaliland, reached financial feasibility additionally to technical feasibility.