The world has discovered what we in the Middle East have known for decades: desalination is an essential aspect of water management for the 21st century.

In the Middle East, no real development in society or industry would have been possible without the parallel development and implementation of desalination. With its unique ability to provide a new and reliable source of fresh water to sustain the health and vitality of people and economies, desalination is clearly also a promise for the future.

Today, there is a great emphasis on renewable desalination. Continuing efforts to reduce the energy footprint is one of the most important goals in desalination technology, and thus, a key emphasis today is on the sustainability of energy solutions.

This gradual but constant change in perspective and environmental understanding is driving the technology towards more efficient and environmentally-friendly options, and towards energy optimisation. Consequently, we stand at the forefront of exciting developments that can make the goal of renewable desalination a reality.

However, it is essential to find the way to bridge the gap between research and industry to make sure that renewable desalination concepts are successful.

While it is very exciting to see that many private companies and public institutions are investing in the development of renewable desalination technologies, advances in the R&D laboratory are not enough. The fact remains that in many cases, while suppliers, universities and research centres are working diligently on engineering renewable solutions, the industry is slow to embrace change. The industry approach is still very conservative when it comes to specifying the technology for future projects, and solutions are often still based on older technical schemes. This is true even in the Middle East, which is proactively exploring the potential of renewables.

While new technologies offer the potential to provide a springboard for the future, their commercial viability depends on how successfully we can engage all the stakeholders involved in water management — investors, end-users and governments — to create and support opportunities for integrating these technologies on a broader scale. The upcoming International Water Summit not only provides further evidence of interest in renewable desalination, it also creates a valuable platform to explore how it can become a reality. This is critical, as it is clear that without the combined effort of all the stakeholders in the industry, it will be impossible to bring these technologies to the next step.

Particularly in our region, desalination is the cornerstone of economical growth. The challenge that the market faces today is not finding renewable desalination processes that address our collective goal. Instead, the real task at hand is making sure that the solutions we develop are given the opportunity to become industrially and commercially viable, making the transition from the academic world to the industrial sphere in a timely way.

There is a strong relationship between desalination and energy. For example, in the Middle East, a great deal of the energy produced by thermal power plants is used to power desalination plants. A lot of energy that could be made available to the power grid is, in reality, directed towards the generation of water through desalination. The integration of water and energy is essential, and focusing on sustainable solutions for energy and water — desalination, in particular — is critical.

The overall objective of sustainability and integration of renewable energy sources cannot proceed along with a parallel programme of renewable desalination, energy efficiency and resource optimisation.

The Middle East has long been a champion of desalination, as we have harnessed its potential to create a strong and vibrant culture. With forums like the International Water Summit, and initiatives such as Masdar, we are now in a strong position to also shine the spotlight on the promise of renewable desalination not only for our region, but to benefit people around the world.

 

Dr. Corrado Sommariva is President of the International Desalination Association (IDA) and Managing Director of ILF Consulting.