GIS-Driven Method for Site Feasibility Assessment of Large-Scale Solar Thermal Seawater Desalination: An Australian Case Study

Concentrated solar power (CSP) plants can be coupled with seawater desalination via Multi-Effect Distillation (MED) by recovering the cycle’s ‘free’ waste heat. However, project viability, based on the payback period, is contingent upon systematic consideration of climate variability, topography, water resources, markets, and natural hazards. This study describes a data-driven method for screening and then selecting optimal sites in Australia by integrating a Geographic Information System (GIS), System Advisor Model (SAM), MATLAB program, and a Multi-Criteria Decision-Making (MCDM) model. Results for potential sites based on only climate, topography, water resources, markets, and infrastructure identify approximately 2.13×105 km2 of land are suitable, granularly mainly located in the north-west and the south coastal regions with high solar resources (average direct normal irradiance (DNI) > 6 ). These regions encompass 56,000 km2 and 25,100 km2 of suitable areas, respectively, with potential payback periods as low as 12.2 years and 14.0 years. Queensland's northern coastal regions also show promise with a potential payback period of 13.4 years, but the suitable area is only 2,070 km2 due to the marine protection areas in the eastern coastal zone. New South Wales faces hurdles due to topography and lower solar resources. Model results were consistent with the development of CSP installations in Australia, particularly, the Aurora facility in South Australia. This study provides a precise delineation of CSP-MED integration regions in Australia through the multi-dimensional analysis, offering insights into payback periods, and quantifying variable impacts on project geographical, technical, and economic feasibility.