Co-ordination Action for Autonomous Desalination Units ... - ADU-RES

Executive Summary
Water scarcity has always been part of the history of the Mediterranean. Through
history, water has been the essential element for economic and social development
and for the stability of Mediterranean cultures and civilizations.
Water in most countries and regions of the Mediterranean is a limiting factor. The
arid and semi-arid countries of the Mediterranean combine a low rate of rainfall and
a high rate of evapotranspiration, therefore only small amount flows into rivers or
percolates to aquifers.
Furthermore, the level of exploitation of the water resources is generally high in most
countries and pressure over water resources is increasing. Exploitation ratios are
over 50%, or even nearing 100% in many parts of Mediterranean countries such as
in Egypt, Palestinian Authority, Tunisia, Libya, etc., making the need of nonconventional
water resources vital.
Desalination is becoming a major option particularly in the islands where the effects
of severe droughts cannot be overcame by expensive transportation of water from
the mainland. The cost of desalination is still high as compared to other conventional
sources of supply. However, many islands are using desalination technologies to
cover from 18% to 50% of the water use in the domestic sector.
Research on increased energy efficiency and use of renewable energy is achieving
important results and is expected to make this option increasingly implement able,
with the possibility of reducing stress on existing water supplies. Most of the
Mediterranean countries exhibit significant Renewable Energy Sources (RES)
potential. The coupling of renewable energy sources with desalination processes is
seen as having the potential to offer a sustainable route for increasing the supplies of
potable water. It is unlikely to solve the world’s water problem in the immediate future
but it does offer the potential of providing a sustainable source of potable water to
some communities, particularly those in arid areas where there are no indigenous
sources of fossil fuels.
Although RES desalination has interested those involved in desalting, the
applications were mostly confined to isolated locations where continual transport of
fuel posed a serious problem. However, with the rapid increase in fossil fuel costs
WP2 ADU-RES 1