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View the PDF File: The Potential for Wind-Powered Desalination in Water-Scarce Countries (opens in a new window)

Abstract: Submitted in partial fulfillment of the degree Master of Arts in Law and Diplomacy at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy. Abstract: This paper explores the global potential for integrating wind power and desalination technologies to increase water supplies. Desalination processes allow for the conversion of abundant salt water to relatively scarce freshwater and therefore represent great potential for water scarcity alleviation. A major limitation of desalination is its high energy requirements, and therefore it is useful to explore how renewable energy sources (such as wind) can be linked into desalination systems for sustainable freshwater production into the future. Desalination and wind technologies are summarized in this paper, including growth trends, costs, and emerging technological advancements. GIS is then used to generate a map of global wind-powered desalination potential hotspots, to give a rough idea where the integration of these technologies might be the most applicable. The analysis generated a short list of countries that have the greatest potential for leveraging gains from wind-powered desalination plants, including: Barbados, Cape Verde, Egypt, Haiti, Libya, Madagascar, Mauritania, Morocco, Saudi Arabia, South Africa and Yemen. While there are significant limitations to the data used for this paper, it is hoped that the results of this analysis will generate discussions and further research on the implementation of wind-powered desalination in the identified countries, as well as other regions of the globe.