Water, Energy, and Food Nexus in a Solar-Powered Brackish Water Desalination Plant in Jordan

Abstract The growing demand for water in domestic, agricultural, and energy production applications poses a significant challenge for Jordan. This work assesses the role of brackish water desalination as an alternative to alleviate water scarcity in semi-arid regions. Desalination is still limited in its application in Jordan due to high electricity tariffs. Shifting to renewable sources such as solar energy, abundant in the country, is a feasible way to power technologies with a high energy demand. In this work, we study the brackish water desalination plant at the Hashemite University in Jordan that is powered by a photovoltaic (PV) solar system (the HU PV-BWRO). The plant’s performance was evaluated in the context of the water–energy nexus as a hybrid water supply solution. Water assessment results indicate that the groundwater wells near the HU campus are at risk of quality degradation over time, as they have shown a slight increasing trend in salinization from 2015 to 2023. Energy assessment results show a promising performance from the plant, with a specific energy consumption (SEC) value of 1.2 kWh/m3 (140% to 400% less energy consumption compared with other Jordanian desalination plants of similar capacity). Unit price comparisons indicate that the energy cost of PV (0.042 USD/m3) is 5 times less than the cost of grid electricity (0.24 USD/m3). The operational cost of the solar desalination plant at full capacity, is 0.23 USD/m3, which is 260% less than the operation cost for local, grid-powered desalination plants. Finally, it is estimated that by operating the plant at 50% of its total capacity, the produced water could be sufficient to irrigate up to 80% of the HU campus to increase agricultural production. This study highlights the importance of decreasing reliance on energy for water and food production through the integration of solar power renewable energy.