Technology Category
Planning, Routing, and Scheduling: Mixed Discrete/Continuous PlanningSearch and Optimization: Mixed Discrete/Continuous SearchConstraint Satisfaction and Optimization: Mixed Discrete/Continuous Optimization
Watts and Drops: Co-Scheduling Power and Water in Desalination Plants
🤖 AI Summary
This study addresses the operational optimization of renewable energy–driven hybrid thermal–membrane desalination plants, aiming to maximize net revenue through coordinated water–electricity scheduling. To account for wind–solar generation volatility, two-way electricity market participation, multi-technology coupling, grid interactions, and forecast uncertainty, we formulate a stochastic programming model. Theoretical analysis reveals a threshold-type monotonic relationship between freshwater production and renewable power generation, enabling derivation of an analytically tractable optimal scheduling policy. This policy jointly ensures freshwater supply stability and responsive participation in electricity markets. Under guaranteed water security constraints, it significantly improves on-site renewable energy utilization and plant profitability. The resulting interpretable, implementable coordination framework advances green-power–driven desalination systems.
Technology Category
Application Category
📝 Abstract
We develop a mathematical framework to jointly schedule water and electricity in a profit-maximizing renewable colocated water desalination plant that integrates both thermal and membrane based technologies. The price-taking desalination plant sells desalinated water to a water utility at a given price and engages in bidirectional electricity transactions with the grid, purchasing or selling power based on its net electricity demand. We show that the optimal scheduling policy depends on the plant's internal renewable generation and follows a simple threshold structure. Under the optimal policy, thermal based water output decreases monotonically with renewable output, while membrane based water output increases monotonically. We characterize the structure and intuition behind the threshold policy and examine key special properties.
Problem
Research questions and friction points this paper is trying to address.
Jointly scheduling water and electricity in renewable desalination plants
Optimizing bidirectional electricity transactions with the power grid
Developing threshold-based policy for thermal and membrane technologies
Innovation
Methods, ideas, or system contributions that make the work stand out.
Mathematical framework for joint water-electricity scheduling
Bidirectional electricity transactions with the power grid
Threshold-based policy coordinating thermal and membrane technologies
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