Performance enhancement and integrating renewable energy into reverse osmosis seawater desalination system in the Moroccan coastal region

This study investigates the energy consumption and environmental challenges of the Phosboucraa seawater desalination plant in Laayoune, southern Morocco, used as a work-study to explore strategies for enhancing energy efficiency, carbon mitigation and sustainability. The plant, which produces 4,000 m 3 /day of fresh water for phosphate washing, currently operates at a high energy demand of approximately 8 kWh/m 3 . To address these challenges, four strategic scenarios were evaluated: the implementation of Pressure Exchanger (PX) technology, Ultrafiltration (UF), a single sand filter type, and the integration of renewable energy sources into the desalination process. Key findings indicate that PX technology significantly reduced energy consumption to 2.8 kWh/m 3 , while UF pretreatment provided a balanced outcome with a permeate flow rate of 78.62 m 3 /h at 2.88 kWh/m 3 . The single trilayer sand filter scenario achieved the highest permeate flow rate of 82.18 m 3 /h, but at a higher energy consumption of 3.01 kWh/m 3 . The optimal hybrid renewable energy system, comprising a 233 kW Photovoltaic (PV) panel, two 1,500 kW wind turbines (WTs), a 965 kW converter, a 2,100 kW diesel generator, and 3,963 batteries, achieved the lowest Levelized Cost of Energy (LCOE) at 0.194 $/kWh and the lowest Net Present Cost (NPC) of 21.9 million $, with a renewable fraction of approximately 80.5%. The integration of renewable energy sources led to a substantial reduction in CO 2 emissions, decreasing by approximately 80% compared to conventional diesel-powered operations. Future work will focus on integrating battery storage and developing intelligent control mechanisms to improve system stability and reliability, making hybrid desalination systems a key solution for water security in energy-resource-rich coastal regions.