Trial success for world’s first first fully circular solar thermal desalination system
The UAE imports around 85% of its food, making it one of the world’s most food-import dependent nations. Despite critical water stress, the nation is working towards food independence as part of its National Food Security Strategy. Making agriculture sustainable will require innovative solutions, especially as traditional desalination relies heavily on fossil fuels and produces toxic brine.
Technology developer Desolenator has developed the world’s first fully circular solar thermal desalination system. Joining forces with agri-food tech company Silal, they put it to the test in the greenhouses of the UAE desert.
The aim was to turn saline groundwater into safe water for irrigation and cooling for greenhouses. The trial at the Al Ain solar plant showed off-grid desalination can reliably support desert agriculture without brine disposal challenges.
Benefits of Approach/Innovation
- Circular resource model: The system converts brine into useful salts, achieving zero liquid discharge and eliminating toxic waste associated with traditional desalination.
- Energy independence: Utilizing proprietary PV-T panels, the system operates off-grid with thermal storage, decoupling water production from fossil fuel reliance and price volatility.
- Agricultural resilience: Custom remineralisation of water optimises crop yield, while integrated cooling reduces greenhouse water consumption by significant margins.
Specialist Services Involved
- Trial design support: We evaluate technology trial plans based on users’ innovation frames. The Trial Reservoir specifically addresses key questions that the trial must answer.
- Trial validation: We receive and assess the trial end report from the technology vendor. The Trial Reservoirs specifically addresses key questions that the trial must answer.
- Due diligence: Isle has a robust process for helping stakeholders adopt innovative technologies and ensuring they are fit for purpose.
- Repayable grant funding: Isle facilitates negotiation with technology developers and end users to agree upon the trials’ critical success factors and key performance indicators (KPIs). Loans are then released to the technology developers.
- Zero risk trial: Should a trial not meet its KPIs, there is no obligation for the tech company to pay back the loan. Similarly, there is no obligation for the end user to make a purchase order; the Trial Reservoir assumes the risk.
- Investor introductions: Isle uses its extensive worldwide network to provide introductions to potential investors.
Outcomes
- Water security: The pilot successfully delivered 25m³/day of distilled water from saline groundwater, proving a scalable model for food independence in arid regions.
- Sustainable cooling: The integrated cooling system reduced energy requirements for temperature regulation, delivering 500 kWh of cooling capacity for the greenhouses.
- Carbon reduction: The system demonstrated the ability to reduce emissions per m³ of water produced by up to 85% compared to fossil-powered reverse osmosis.
Key contact:
For enquiries and further information, please contact Dr Jo Burgess, Head of Trial Reservoir at jo.burgess@isleutilities.com.