Comparative investigation for sustainable freshwater production in hybrid multigrid systems based on solar energy

Energy storage systems are decisive players in the sustainable performance of the energy market for more beneficial outcomes from technical and economic points of view. Renewable energy-powered desalination technologies are attractive options for sustainable freshwater production for household applications. Two configurations based on the chemical and electrochemical energy storage systems are introduced to discover an effective system for this goal of sustained potable water production throughout the day. These systems' technical and economic performances present their superiorities over each other. The estimated exergy destruction for the battery and fuel cell-based systems are around 6.4 and 7.1 MW, respectively. The calculated parameters declared that the fuel cell-powered system offers higher round-trip efficiency by 16.48%. Moreover, the fuel cell-contained system has an interesting superiority in economic parameters by a lower payback period. Another captivating fact lies in the provision of the designed products. In this case, the fuel cell offers more sustainable electrical power in the discharge times for freshwater and hydrogen production. The obtained outcomes confirm that while the required investment cost for the fuel cells is relatively higher, the obtained chemical energy through the processes involved in the fuel cells can compensate for the financial stresses. • The main highlights of the research are as follows: • Sustainable freshwater and hydrogen production in hybrid multigrid systems powered by solar energy. • Better performance of a chemical energy storage system by 16.48% over an electrochemical energy storage system. • Novel configurations for freshwater production by more than 10 kg/s.