The Oceanic Platform of the Canary Islands (PLOCAN) has launched Desalination for Environmental Sustainability and Life (DESALIFE), a European wave-powered desalination project led by the start-up Ocean Oasis Canarias.
The project expects to provide up to 2000 cubic meters per day of fresh water (averaged over a year) for the islands, which, the partners said, equals 15,0000 people’s consumption.
This floating technology desalinates seawater through a reverse osmosis process that uses only wave energy, so it does not consume electricity from the grid, avoiding associated CO2 emissions. The project aims to help decarbonize the islands and support their energy independence.
According to the World Economic Forum, there may be a 40% gap between freshwater demand and freshwater supply by 2030. This is especially crucial for islands given that climate change is expected to alter normal precipitation patterns. Desalination is one solution, but conventional desalination is done with fossil fuels and emits a considerable amount of CO2. Desalination using the energy from ocean waves significantly reduces the environmental impact from emissions and increases islands’ energy security..
However many desalination plants discharge the heavy, salty brine from the process back into the ocean which is a significant environmental concern.
The five-year DESALIFE project has a budget of approximately €10 million (USD$10.4 million) and is co-financed with €5.9 million by the European Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency (CINEA) within the framework of the Circular Economy and Quality of Life Programme.
PLOCAN’s partners include the Technological Institute of the Canary Islands (ITC), the Research Group on Renewable Energy Systems (GRRES) of the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria (ULPGC), elittoral, an environmental consultancy specializing in coastal and marine environments and Ocean Oasis Canarias.
DESALIFE aims to demonstrate wave-powered desalination as a sustainable and affordable solution to guarantee the future of the island’s water, additionally contributing to the local economy by attracting international investment and generating employment.
