Integration of thermal energy and seawater desalination

Energy and freshwater shortage are the bottlenecks restricting China's economic development. The integration of energy utilization system and seawater desalination is considered as an innovative technology enabling efficient simultaneous use of middle or low temperature thermal energy and supply freshwater. Three feasible approaches to integrate seawater desalination with energy utilization system are presented in this paper, including combinations of the desalination process with a Combined Cooling Heating & Power system (CCHP), a power plant, or a solar thermal utilization system. In addition, the feasibility and advantages of a seawater desalination system combined with a power plant are described. The findings indicate that combining seawater desalination with industrial processes is a feasible and promising way to solve the problems of the lack of freshwater and low efficient use of low temperature thermal energy in coastland areas.