An alternative hybrid concept combining seawater desalination, solar energy and reverse electrodialysis for a sustainable production of sweet water and electrical energy

Fresh water and oil/gas based energy will become scarce since their actual (increase in) consumption rate is definitely unsustainable, when considering their restricted world reserves. Moreover, the large scale burning of such fuels for the production of electrical energy or in industry/transport results in a significant rising of the carbon dioxide concentration in the atmosphere and therefore a rising of global temperatures. Research and development regarding alternative energy sources such as e.g. nuclear fusion is proceeding but mankind also becomes more aware of the sun as being a giant fusion reactor, already at their free disposition and able to act as a lasting and sustainable energy source. The sun in fact delivers continuously about 89,000 TW of usable insolation (photons) power to our planet while the actual global power consumption is about 15 TW. From this point of view, the sun is thus able to provide about 6000 times the world’s energy demand, thus highlighting the enormous potential of sol...

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