Seite - 23 - in Clean Water Using Solar and Wind - Outside the Power Grid

Towards sustainability goals 23 Institute of Technology (MIT) in association with the Global Clean Water Desalination Alliance (Lienhard et  al., 2016). On top of presenting the current status of large- and small-scale desalination the participants were asked to value the most interesting options for desalination. Two metrics were used: (1) technology readiness level (TRL) and (2) impact. This is a methodology introduced by NASA in the 1970s. The TRL levels define up to ten levels of technology maturity, ranging from idea through basic and applied research to pilot and full commercial-scale implementation. The impact is graded at five levels. The 17 participants viewed the highest TRL and impact on two technologies with almost the same evaluation: reverse osmosis (RO) powered by either wind (mostly for large-scale) and solar PV. The workshop also concluded that “integration of desalination and renewable energy at a small scale can provide clean water in areas of Table 2.1 Important links between the UN Sustainable Development Goals SDG6 (clean water and sanitation) and SDG7 (affordable and clean energy) and the other 15 SDGs (partly adopted from IRENA, 2017a) (Continued). SDG Links 15 – Life on land Conventional energy systems have a significant and negative impact on the environment. This can be avoided using well-designed renewable energy. It can replace fuel wood and charcoal in off-grid locations, thus avoiding too much forest degradation. With water more readily available both agriculture and wildlife can be supported much more. 16 – Peace, justice and strong institutions Renewable energy not only can provide access to clean energy to those lacking energy but also make clean water available. This will decrease social and economic inequalities both within societies and between regions and countries. Unlike hydrocarbon fuels, electricity is not easily tradable between different world regions. It is therefore very important to assess renewable energy resource availability on a regional basis. Furthermore, it gives the final user much more control of the power generation. 17 – Partnerships for the goals Both renewable energy and clean water will contribute to the broader goals of sustainable development. To succeed it will require local, inter-regional and global cooperation and partnerships. Downloaded from https://iwaponline.com/ebooks/book-pdf/520710/wio9781780409443.pdf by IWA Publishing user