Abstract Renewable energy (RE) powered reverse osmosis (RO) desalination is rapidly evolving as an attractive energy-water nexus solution that combines the sustainability of RE and the maturity of RO. The intermittent and fluctuating power of RE, the variable operation of RO systems and the social acceptance of RO, commonly perceived as an energy intensive process, are some of the challenges currently faced by scientists and decision makers. The objective of this study is to identify an energy-water system that is cost-effective, sustainable and socially accepted in a rural community of Australia. The numerical analysis is based on one year (2016) data of energy demand of the community. The size and energy demand of the RO plant is assumed based on the 2016 water demand. A modelling approach that can be readily available and simple to use by the regional energy and water utilities is developed. Out of the seven assessed energy configurations, the most cost-effective system includes a hybrid RE-RO system characterized by grid electricity, a 2.4 MW wind and a 2.8 MW distributed rooftop solar photovoltaic (RTPV) system to supply the 14 GWh and 1.2 GWh annual energy demand of the community and RO plant, respectively. A system of RTPVs distributed across the community is suggested as an option to improve the social acceptance of the RO by directly engaging the consumers in the supply of their own energy and water needs. The RO is simulated to operate as a deferrable electrical load, whose feed flow rate and operating pressure vary (within admissible limits) as a function of the renewable energy excess and the end-user's energy consumption. The proposed energy-water system aims to provide a sustainable and economical solution whilst targeting the cultural gap between community members and decision makers that has been hindering desalination projects in Australia's rural communities.

中文翻译：

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为可再生能源驱动的海水淡化系统选择经济上合适且可持续的解决方案：澳大利亚农村案例研究

摘要 可再生能源 (RE) 驱动的反渗透 (RO) 海水淡化正在迅速发展成为一种有吸引力的能源-水关系解决方案，它结合了可再生能源的可持续性和反渗透的成熟度。可再生能源的间歇性和波动性、反渗透系统的可变运行以及反渗透的社会接受度（通常被认为是能源密集型过程）是科学家和决策者目前面临的一些挑战。本研究的目的是确定一个在澳大利亚农村社区中具有成本效益、可持续和社会接受的能源-水系统。数值分析基于社区能源需求的一年（2016 年）数据。RO 工厂的规模和能源需求是根据 2016 年的用水需求假设的。开发了一种建模方法，该方法很容易被区域能源和水公用事业单位使用且易于使用。在评估的七种能源配置中，最具成本效益的系统包括以电网电力为特征的混合 RE-RO 系统、2.4 MW 风能和 2.8 MW 分布式屋顶太阳能光伏 (RTPV) 系统，分别为 14 GWh 和 1.2 GWh 供电分别为社区和反渗透工厂的年能源需求。建议采用分布在整个社区的 RTPV 系统作为一种选择，通过直接让消费者参与供应他们自己的能源和水需求来提高 RO 的社会接受度。RO 被模拟为可延迟电力负载，其进料流速和操作压力随可再生能源过剩和最终用户的能源消耗而变化（在允许的范围内）。拟议的能源-水系统旨在提供可持续和经济的解决方案，同时针对阻碍澳大利亚农村社区海水淡化项目的社区成员和决策者之间的文化差距。