Solar photovoltaic module based Co-generation system – Performance and enviro-economic aspects in arid desert sites

Easy access to grid electricity and clean water is practically impossible in developing nations' arid coastal desert sites. However, this problem can be solved by harnessing the copious solar energy and saline water supplies in these areas. This study proposes a photovoltaic (PV) module-based co-generation system known as the PV-DESAL module, which can generate electricity & desalinated water and conceptually investigates the same in twenty-three African and Asian sites. Polycrystalline PV module of 335 W p incorporated as absorber in the PV-DESAL module effectively utilized the waste heat energy to produce desalinated water passively. Because of its vertical orientation, superior performance was found during the winter months than in the summer months at the analysed sites (5–36° Latitude). In the African and Asian sites under consideration, the PV-DESAL module's annual electricity output potential varied from 293.0 to 474.0 kWh and 310.0 to 450.0 kWh, respectively. The annual desalinated water generation potential of the PV-DESAL module was around 226.0–462.0 kg and 262.0–556.0 kg in the African and Asian sites, respectively. The PV-DESAL module had an electrical, exergy, co-generation efficiency and sustainability index of at least 15.0 %, 17.0 %, 24.0 %, and 1.21. The specific CO 2 emission of PV-DESAL module was around 0.10–0.16 kg per kWh of electricity generated and 0.08–0.20 kg per kg of desalinated water generated. The performance index results suggested that the PV-DESAL module is viable and may favourably contribute to the sustainable development of nineteen of the twenty-three arid coastal desert sites. • Simultaneous electricity and desalinated water generation using PV module. • Electrical and co-generation efficiency of at least 15.0 % and 24.0 %, respectively. • Environmental aspects, economic aspects and performance index assessment procedures. • Viability assessment of the system in 23 African and Asian coastal desert sites.