Page - 147 - in Clean Water Using Solar and Wind - Outside the Power Grid

To obtain clean water using solar PV and wind requires more than technology. Economising the systems is a key issue, discussed in Chapter 12. Even though costs for both solar PV and wind have decreased rapidly, there is a new kind of economy compared to traditional systems. The up-front capital cost is the dominating cost for renewables, while the “fuel” is free and maintenance much lower than for conventional energy systems. Thus, it becomes vital to find a financing system that takes the different cost structure into consideration. In parallel with new technology there is a crucial need for education at many levels. The end user who has not previously enjoyed the opportunities that electricity can offer must be advised. Training at many levels of technical jobs is important if water operations using renewable energy are to be successful. Energy systems require land areas. This issue is discussed in Chapter 13, and solar PV and wind energy land requirements are compared to land areas used for conventional energy systems. Over the last few years a lot of experiences have been collected from using solar PV and wind for water operations. In Chapter 14 some cases illustrate how renewable energy has been applied to pumping and to desalination. Part IV Applying Renewable Energy to Water Operations Downloaded from https://iwaponline.com/ebooks/book-pdf/520710/wio9781780409443.pdf by IWA Publishing user