The Civil Engineering Contractor September 2018 | Page 42

SUPPLY CHAIN NEWS
Solar-powered desalinisation plants such as this one can now be independent of the grid.
First solar-powered desalination plant in SA
October has been set as the date of commissioning South
Africa’s first-ever solar-powered desalination plant at
Witsand, in the Hessequa Local Municipality of the
Western Cape. The plant is highly cost-effective, according
to developer Mascara Renewable Water of France.
The company developed the technology to be used on
the plant, named OSMOSUN. The system was brought to
South Africa by its local partner Turnkey Water Solutions
and is the world’s first reverse osmosis desalination
technology to be coupled with photovoltaic solar energy
without batteries.
The production capacity of the solar-powered OSMOSUN
is 100m 3 a day, with the potential to increase to 300m 3 . This
can be achieved by running the unit independent of sunlight
hours by means of a connection to the national electricity
grid, a feature which can be used during various peak periods.
This technology is ideal for supplying drinking water
40 - CEC September 2018
to coastal or borehole dependent communities, both at
a competitive price, and which does not have carbon
dioxide emissions. On confirming the news, Turnkey
Water Solutions CEO and founder Patrice Boyer explained
that an intelligent system of membranes enables the plant
to cope with variations in solar power availability.
Boyer says that all parameters are instantly optimised
so as to make sure of best possible energy performance
and also to ensure a maximum lifetime of both installation
and membranes. This project is the first of four planned
for South Africa and is co-funded by the Western Cape
government. It will be financed through the provincial
government’s drought relief fund and by the French
Treasury, through a fund dedicated to the implementation
of innovative ‘green’ technologies.
Mascara Renewable Water specialises in innovative water
treatment solutions with the use of renewable energy.