Energy Options for Water Desalination in UAE

The aridity, population growth, agriculture and industrial activities threaten the water resources in the UAE. In UAE, groundwater quantity is reduced and its quality is also deteriorated due to the scanty of rainfall and over pumping for different uses. The deficit of groundwater is met by desalinated water and reused of treated wastewater. To improve the current water situation, a national water resources strategy has been prepared and implemented to assist in achieve this target and maintain the country's water security. This paper intends to give an overview of non-conventional energy technologies for water desalination. These include solar, fossil fuel, and nuclear technologies. Using simplified score model analysis, options were evaluated for best water uses considering water productivity and environmental sustainability criteria. It was concluded that solar technologies are most effective for water desalination in UAE. However, oil, natural gas and nuclear technologies have low likelihood to be viable in the short term