The Civil Engineering Contractor September 2018 | Page 42

SUPPLY CHAIN NEWS Solar-powered desalinisation plants such as this one can now be independent of the grid. First solar-powered desalination plant in SA October has been set as the date of commissioning South Africa’s first-ever solar-powered desalination plant at Witsand, in the Hessequa Local Municipality of the Western Cape. The plant is highly cost-effective, according to developer Mascara Renewable Water of France. The company developed the technology to be used on the plant, named OSMOSUN. The system was brought to South Africa by its local partner Turnkey Water Solutions and is the world’s first reverse osmosis desalination technology to be coupled with photovoltaic solar energy without batteries. The production capacity of the solar-powered OSMOSUN is 100m 3 a day, with the potential to increase to 300m 3 . This can be achieved by running the unit independent of sunlight hours by means of a connection to the national electricity grid, a feature which can be used during various peak periods. This technology is ideal for supplying drinking water 40 - CEC September 2018 to coastal or borehole dependent communities, both at a competitive price, and which does not have carbon dioxide emissions. On confirming the news, Turnkey Water Solutions CEO and founder Patrice Boyer explained that an intelligent system of membranes enables the plant to cope with variations in solar power availability. Boyer says that all parameters are instantly optimised so as to make sure of best possible energy performance and also to ensure a maximum lifetime of both installation and membranes. This project is the first of four planned for South Africa and is co-funded by the Western Cape government. It will be financed through the provincial government’s drought relief fund and by the French Treasury, through a fund dedicated to the implementation of innovative ‘green’ technologies. Mascara Renewable Water specialises in innovative water treatment solutions with the use of renewable energy.