Possibility of Seawater Desalination Using Reverse Osmosis Powered by Wind Energy Systems on the Island of Crete, Greece

The lack of sufficient water resources is a major problem in Mediterranean basin which is going to be exacerbated gradually due to climate crisis. Seawater desalination is an effective technology producing high quality potable water. Among different water desalination technologies reverse osmosis is a well-known, mature and reliable technology producing drinkable water. The island of Crete, Greece has rich wind energy resources which are currently used for green electricity generation. Wind electricity can be used in reverse osmosis desalination plants producing low-carbon potable water. The possibility of seawater desalination with reverse osmosis technology powered by wind energy in the island of Crete, Greece has been studied. It has been found that producing 20% of the potable water demand in Crete at 25.52 mil. M3/year requires 114.84 GWh/year for powering the reverse osmosis desalination plants which corresponds at 3.83 % of the annual electricity consumption in the island. The nominal power of wind farms generating this amount of electricity is 46.82 MWp while their installation cost is at 56.18 mil. €. Therefore, the development of reverse osmosis desalination plants powered by wind electricity is a realistic possibility for Crete in the near future. Our findings could be useful to public and municipal authorities which develop the required policies to avoid freshwater shortages in Crete in the coming decades.