Analysis of a Hybrid Renewable Energy Stand-Alone Unit for Simultaneously Producing Hydrogen and Fresh Water from Sea Water

Abstract

The present paper proposes a new imaging of a stand-alone unit for the simultaneously production of fresh water and hydrogen gas from sea water and brackish water. The proposed stand-alone unit can contribute effectively to the integrated water policy in Egypt's present and future. The fresh water is produced using desalination with reverse osmosis technologies driven by renewable energy systems. This is thought to be the optimum solution to the potable water scarcity at remote areas characterized by the lack of conventional energy sources like heat and electricity grid. Different new electrochemical concepts for hydrogen production from the produced brine stream are illustrated with the emphasis on the safely removal of the evolved chlorine. Electricity used, either for driving high-pressure pumps or for ionization of salts contained in the sea water, is produced from a hydrogen fuel cell unit. The proposed stand-alone unit can become widely utilized not just for drinking water applications but for industrial process applications where high purity is demand.