Desalted water provided by a poligeneration scheme for the tourist sector

The aim of the paper is to present a poligeneration scheme that provides desalted water in a reliable and economic manner for the tourist sector, so contributing to show that the concept of ‘‘distributed generation’’ for water is also possible, as electricity is. The proposed scheme has been designed for a Mediterranean hotel and it consist of a power plant (internal combustion engine) providing electricity, a desalination system (RO unit) supplying fresh water, an absorption chiller covering the cooling requirements, and the necessary heat recovering systems and solar collectors (for hot sanitary water supply). The results show that with present prices of water, electricity and natural gas in Spain for this tourist complex, and the adequate energy and water policy, poligeneration schemes could be a new alternative for conventional huge infrastructures of water and energy production, at least in the Mediterranean area for the tourist sector.