Water and electricity solar installation

At the same time of access to clean water often takes human power resources, but if we can also do not waste to generate electricity? Plants also can from & other; Users throughout the &; Become & other; Producer & throughout; ？ The natural & middot; 9 communications magazine published a engineering of the latest breakthrough: a solar device can clean water and electricity, the device is expected to reduce energy arid and semi-arid region and the shortage of clean water.

rising global demand for energy and clean water, caused some challenges to the sustainable development of economy and society. The power production sometimes need a lot of water, water treatment works, in turn, consumes power resources. Sunlight as a sustainable and renewable energy, can also used to power the solar cells and water purification device. But for a long time, the two technologies of energy and cost efficiency are very limited.

this time, Saudi Arabia's king abdullah university of science and technology research team developed a new device, it is a combination of the existing two kinds of solar power technology & ndash; — Photovoltaic (pv) and multi-stage membrane distillation, to generate electricity and clean water at the same time. Membrane distillation is a kind of advanced solar power system, only a relatively low temperature distillation and water collection will be finished. The research team design a three-stage membrane distillation component, it is fixed on the back of photovoltaic panels, the use of the heat generated by the photovoltaic panels for distillation.

, the researchers said the two functions on a device, can improve energy efficiency. They think that the latest available device can make power plants from & other; Users throughout the &; Into clean water & other; Producer & throughout; , is expected to be sufficient solar radiation and the wastewater reuse of areas where fresh water is scarce.