PV-RO Solar desalination: A world first

Mascara is proud of the successful launch of its solar desalination demonstration unit in Abu Dhabi. This world first solar powered desalination unit, set up under MASDAR’s Renewable Desalination Program (Mubadala Development Company), was installed in 2 weeks and operated at nominal level as soon as it was started.

The OSMOSUN®40 unit desalinates seawater (salinity 46g/l) with a reverse osmosis system powered by photovoltaic panels, without batteries. (RO-PV)

A well-known desalination demonstration platform

As the OSMOSUN® desalination had barely been started, it drew the attention of renown water and electricity utility.

The 2016 WETEX of Dubai (Water, Energy, Technology and Environment Exhibition) in early October was the opportunity to host many visits from public and private organizations of the region.

An official delegation from representatives of public utilities RAECO and PAEW as well as the private sector from Oman were some of the first to witness the performance the world first industrial solar desalination unit operating “along with the available solar power” without battery or diesel generator.

Inauguration in the presence of distinguished guests

The inauguration of the OSMOSUN® demonstration unit gathered honored guests including managers from MASDAR and the French Embassy in the UAE.

The beauty of the site, the performance of Mascara’s OSMOSUN® unit and its economic competitiveness have been of great interest to the UAE officials.

The United Arab Emirates and the Gulf countries heavily rely on fossil fuels for desalination and this first solar desalination plant augurs well for the development of the market. Each Additional capacity of several hundred thousand m³ / day will be required every year in the GCC region.