Promoting Sustainable Resources Energy to Produce Water in Saudi Arabia - Essay Example

? Promoting Sustainable Resources Energy to Produce Water in Saudi Arabia Introduction Promotion of clean water is essential for human beings, plants, and animals to sustain their survival. About three quarters of the earth's surface is covered with water but most of this water is very saline beyond human composition. Saudi Arabia is a country that is mostly arid hence has very limited water resources that can effectively support all the activities in that region. The population of the country is highly on the rise but the natural resources are highly depleted. The problem with conventional desalination system is that the resources it depends on cannot be sustained for long-term water production. The environmental damage is making the process more expensive hence the need for sustainable methods of water production. The country should thus shift their operations to sustainable desalination systems that can support the ever-increasing demand for water resources. Energy demands in Saudi Arabia From all the available sources, the current capacity of producing energy in Saudi Arabia is about 50,000MW and this keeps on growing with 3,000MW annually (Oil and Gas Report, 2013). This annual growth is relatively bigger when compared to other countries in the gulf region. The government of Saudi Arabia invests about 1,125 billion dollars to cater for the energy needs between now and 2018. In the year 2009 alone, the country used about 100 million barrels of oil to produce energy and this implies that they consume one quarter of all their oil in domestic uses. The demand for electricity demand in Saudi Arabia is expected to increase by 70,000MW in the next twenty years, and at this rate only sustainable energy resources can be trusted to drive the country’s growth and demands (Saudi Arabia Country Profile, 2013). The economy of the country is highly dependent on oil exports and if the local consumption is not substituted with other sustainable energy demands, their economic growth may be adversely affected in future. Water desalination heavily relies on the use of fossil fuel energy and with this rate of increased demand; their ability to export oil and earn revenues will be greatly jeopardized. The increased rate of fossil fuel energy production is not a sign of economic development but a sign of inefficient use of energy. Water uses in Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia produces 24 million cubic meters of water per day and this represents about a half of the world-desalinated water in the word. Currently the country is building the world largest solar powered desalination facility to supplement the fossil fuel desalination. The country cannot rely on its oil reserves since they have already used about 70% of their oil natural reserves and therefore are at risk of losing their water supply. The demand of water increases by about 8% of the water reserves and this number is expected to double in the next few yeas meaning the country have to expand their water supply (Energy Industry Report, 2009). Most of the water uses in Saudi Arabia goes to domestic industrial and agricultural use in wheat production but the country is currently reducing their agricultural activities since they prefer importing to producing due to cost effectiveness. Since the country is slowly phasing out wheat production, the paradox is that most of the farmers are turning to fodder crops that require more than ten times the amount of water used to produce wheat. This means that the country will still need more water for other small-scale agricultural production (Monads & Rehman, 2013). Benefits of large-scale sustainable sources of energy in Saudi Arabia If the country fully implements the use of sustainable sources of energy, it will help her diversify the use of energy for security purposes. The use of sustainable sources of energy would lead to reduced emissions of greenhouse gases, effluents and other wastes that have a negative impact to the environment. The use of sustainable energy sources also reduces the opportunity cost of subsidized fuel inputs thus helping the country economically. In the event that plans of erecting wind and solar power systems are implemented, the rural areas stand a great chance of developing rapidly due to the availability of cheap energy sources. Development of large-scale sustainable sources of energy can foster the creation of domestic market for renewable energy products that are ever in demand (James, 2013). Sustainable sources of energy in large scale are more scalable than conventional means of energy production in the desalination process. The country can also assure its citizens on the possibility of producing desalinized water in the next coming decades without energy related problems. Environmental effect of conventional desalination The current dependence on unsustainable energy sources also has a diverse effect to the environment due gases they emit into the atmosphere. The increased demand for desalinated water also means that the energy reserves are likely to dry out very fast leaving people in the middle of confusion. It has been estimated that the production of 22million cubic meters of clean water requires over two million tons of oil per year. Even if the oil needed to for the desalination process would have been available, it is required in large quantities that would still have posed a negative impact to the environment. This is because form the current understanding of the greenhouse effect, any additional amounts of carbon dioxide gases in the atmosphere is a move closer to environmental harm (Alaindroos & He, 2012). The best approach to dealing with both problems of cost and environmental pollution is to develop large-scale sustainable sources of energy to carry out the whole desalination process (MENA, 2012). Increased discharge of chemical components from conventional desalinization are greatly affecting the marine waters and interfering with the aquatic life. Cumulative effect and long-term concentration of these chemicals discharged from conventional desalination into the ocean could have a profoundly negative effect on water and sediment quality, as well as marine life. Chemical pretreatment and cleaning processes commonly employed in the conventional desalination industry have very likely contributed to widespread chemical pollution in the marine environment. The high-energy consumption required by conventional desalination has made the water industry the second largest emitter of carbon dioxide and leading to increased global warming. Sustainable energy systems Sustainable energy systems only represent about 1% of the world current desalinization process despite their huge benefits (Energy Industry Report, 2009). This sector remains largely untapped by people who are concerned with the desalinization projects. This is could be the result of huge capital investment and the high maintenance cost required for this beneficial project. However, it is the best option that should be applied now because the benefits outweigh their limitations in the run. Desalinization using large scale sustainable sources of water are expected to become economic attractive and sustainable method of fresh water production is Saudi Arabia. The costs of renewable technologies are ever on the rise and renewable technologies are readily available to be replaced with these costly systems. The uses of sustainable sources of energy are also advantageous for the rural populations that have poor energy electricity and other non-renewable source infrastructure since renewable energy sources are already present. The dominant source of sustainable energy is solar and its used in about 43% of the existing sustainable desalination projects since its readily available (Michael & Purdy, 2012). The right combination of these renewable energy sources can provide the best cost effective and environmental friend source of desalination in Saudi Arabia. Renewable energy systems are attracting great interest especially in Middle East countries like Saudi Arabia since they are arid areas with a huge solar power potential. The more the aridity of an area, the more the solar power the area receives and this can be effectively be harnessed with latest technologies to develop a powerful desalination project that is environmentally friendly and sustainable with time. Solar energy in Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia is an arid area and thus presents one of the best areas to take advantage of excess solar radiation in its open spaces (Mani, 2013). Saudi Arabia receives good amounts of solar (Monads and Rehman, 2009) and the annual radiation is projected at 250 w/m2, which is almost twice the amount of energy received in other parts of the world. This represents about 105trillion of kilowatt-hours a day an equivalent of 10 billion barrels (Alaindros & He, 2012) of crude oil it is generated from her natural resources. Therefore, it implies that efficient use of solar energy can provide the country with the ability to save lots of oil that can alternatively be exported to earn a foreign exchange (Michael & Purdy, 2012). Diagram of solar radiation in Saudi Arabia (Source: Monads & Rehmna, 2009) Michael & Purdy, 2012) Wind energy in Saudi Arabia In areas where the wind speeds are above 6m/s it is relatively cheaper to produce wind energy use than the fossil fuel energy. The country has vast fields some with little or no population and this can easily create space for the installation of wind turbines to generate sustainable sources of energy. Wind turbines should be installed in relatively flat areas to minimize wind interference from hilly terrains and Saudi Arabia has vast fields that are relatively flat for wind production. The Arabian Gulf and red sea coastal regions represent two windy regions within Saudi Arabia that the country should take advantage of in setting up wind energy production systems (MENA, 2012).. Energy implications of desalination The whole process of desalination requires a considerable amount of energy to provide fresh water for human consumption. Membrane desalination requires only electricity while thermal desalination requires both electricity and thermal energy and this implies that the latter needs more energy than the former. Seawater desalination using multistage flow consumes about 290kJ/kg of electricity of thermal energy with additional 3.5kWh/m3 of electricity while large-scale reverse osmosis consumes. The average global desalination capacity is 65.2 million m3 per day and it requires an energy content of 206 million kWh per day for a typical desalination process (Oxford Business Group, 2010). The use of renewable sources of energy with thermal storage systems can significantly contribute to this vast energy demand if properly utilized. The combinations of these renewable sources of energy can effectively reduce pollution and negative environmental impact while at the same time provides safe water for consumption. Wind power is readily available in the deserts of Saudi Arabia and can offer sufficient energy systems if properly harnessed and stored for use during the desalination process. Desalination costs Since Saudi Arabia is considering mass renewable energy desalination, the availability of these energy components and the cost of acquisition and maintenance are vital for the achievement of such a process. The choice for the site has a significant impact on the cost of the project, water transportation, and fresh water delivered to the consumers. The cost of installing a new desalination plant ranges from 800 to 1500 dollars per unit capacity of m3/d with large variations depending on the specific site in which the plant is located (Alaidroos & He, 2012). The maintenance cost of such operations re usually between 2 to 2.5 percent of the total cost of installation of such project per year hence is less expensive. Water desalinization is thus expensive for a poor country, but for an oil producing country like Saudi Arabia, they can afford the costs and even consider installing renewable sources of energy. The cost of production for a conventional fossil fuel water desalination project runs from 1 to 2 dollars per m3 of water but in more favourable conditions, the cost can be as low as 0. 5 dollars per m3 of water (Energy Industry Report, 2009). The cost of constructing a new desalinized plant consists of construction cost and maintenance costs. The maintenance cost of large renewable energy systems is cheaper compared to the cost incurred in the maintenance of oil driven desalinated water plants. The production cost of water using solar technology is estimated to be as low as $2.4/m3 and this is ideal is used in large scale in rural areas where the cost of pumping water is high. Potential of renewable sources of energy The global capacity of desalination plant is expected to grow by 9% between the years 2010 to 2016 due to increased water demand that comes with ever-increasing population. The cumulative investment for such a huge project is estimated to stand at 88billion US dollars and the market is expected to grow in both developed and emerging countries (International Renewable Energy Agency, 2012). A significant potential for energy production relies in the rural areas and remote areas where it may be impossible to generate grid electricity and fossil fuel production. This therefore means that renewable energy sources like wind and solar remains the best options to exploit in such areas to make good use of such rural and remote settings. Saudi Arabia is the biggest supplier of clean water in the Middle East region from its massive investment in desalination projects. The government is still willing to invest more money to increase the production of sustainable energy sources (Graham, 2013; Mani, 2013). It is also projected that the Middle East region where Saudi Arabia is situated will receive about 54% of the global growth and this provides them with an opportunity to invest in sustainable energy resources to meet their increase energy demands. In the same region, the rate of depletion of surface water is high and total demand for 13.3 billion cubic meters by the year 2013. This increased demand cannot be sustained with over reliance in fossil fuel desalination and this call for investment in sustainable sources of energy in the region. The total amount of energy required to produce such a huge amounts of water in the Middle East region from desalination projects is estimated at 122 TWh in the year 2013 and this cannot be easily achieved by reliance on unsustainable energy sources. Solar energy complimented with solar energy storage has the potential of for a combine production of electricity and undertake desalination projects in the region receives good amounts of solar energy. Industrial and agricultural systems within Saudi Arabia have the potential of creating some renewable energy potential that can alternatively be used to supplement fossil fuel in desalination projects. The waste energy from industrial processes like steel mills, landfill gas, municipal solid waste, and biomass can be effectively utilized to produce energy that can power desalination projects. In the year 2004, the country produced 2.4 million tons of crop and animal waste and this can be used to produce biomass (Mathews, 2013). Conclusion The energy demand in Saudi Arabia is increasing at an alarming rate and this requires the use of large-scale sustainable energy sources to effectively support this growth. Saudi Arabia heavily relies on fossil fuels to power their desalination process. The cost of producing energy from fossil fuel looks relatively cheaper but the problem with this model is that it cannot be relied on for long-term results. It is thus evident that wind speed has a good potential of increasing renewable fraction of energy with minimal effects to the environment and is sustainable for long-term production. Saudi Arabia receives higher amounts of solar radiation than most parts of the world hence they have the potential of utilizing this untapped energy source to supplement their desalinization energy requirements. There is hope that large-scale sustainable sources of energy should be considered new energy sources in exchange for environmental unfriendly fossil fuels in the desalination process. The cost of fossil fuel is ever on the rise and the conventional desalination is likely to be expensive in future hence the need for large-scale sustainable energy desalination process. References Alaidroos, A and He, L. (2012). Feasibility of Renewable Energy Based Distributed Generations in Yanbu, Saudi Arabia. University of Colorado. Energy Industry Report. (2009). Saudi Arabia: Energy Report. The Economist Intelligence Unit Limited Graham, R. (2013). Saudi Arabia to invest $109 billion (!) to get 1/3 of its energy from renewables by 2032. Treehugger. Retrieved from http://www.treehugger.com/energy-policy/saudi-arabia-invest-109-billion-get-13-its-energy-renewables-2032.html International Renewable Energy Agency. (2012) Water Desalination Using Renewable Energy. Technology Brief. www.irena.org James, G. (2013). Regulating a future renewable sector. Middle East Economic Digest, Vol. 57 Issue 15, p32. Monads, M and Rehman, S. (2009). Global solar radiation of Saudi Arabia, King Fahad University of Petroleum and Minerals. Mani. (2013). Saudi Arabia Invests $109B To Meet 1/3 Energy Needs From Renewables. ValueWalk. Retrieved from http://www.valuewalk.com/2013/07/saudi-arabia-invests-109b/ Mathew, M. (2013). Riyadh seeks sustainable growth.. Middle East Economic Review, p26. MENA Development Report. 2012. Renewable Energy Desalination: An Emerging Solution to Close the Water Gap in the Middle East and North Africa. World Bank. Retrieved from http://water.worldbank.org/node/84110 Michael, P and Purdy, H. (2012). Solar and the Next Energy Revolution. Beginning to see the light. Black book Report. Oil and Gas Report. (2013). Saudi Arabia Oil and Gas Report. The Economist Intelligence Unit Limited Oxford Business Group, (2010), The Report: Saudi Arabia. Oxford Business Group, Retrieved from. http://www.oxfordbusinessgroup.com/product/report/report-saudi-arabia-2013 Saudi Arabia Country Profile. (2013). Environmental Analysis. MEED. Read More