Water Desalination, Somaliland

Project description

As part of the EU development and innovation project Revived Water, Phaesun together with nine other European project partners, is developing innovative desalination plants based on electrodialysis technology.
In May 2018, Phaesun installed the first solar-powered pilot plant in Beyo Gulan, a small village in the desert of Somaliland. The system provides up to 2000 liters of clean drinking water per day from the brackish water source for the village population and nomads.

Why was PV selected?

Unlike conventional desalination technologies based on thermal technology or reverse osmosis, electrodialysis requires neither high temperatures nor high pressures. Electrodialysis is based on a membrane technology in which an electric current ensures that salt ions are passed through an ion exchange membrane, thus allowing the salt content to be significantly reduced without filtering other important minerals out of the water. The new technology requires little maintenance and due to its low energy needs, it is well suited for solar power supply. This makes it particularly suitable for applications in remote areas.

Special challenges

The village of Beyo Gulan is accessible by road only during the dry season. In the wet season roads are flooded.
As the system is a pilot plant that needs continuous observation and control, a remote monitoring and control unit equipped with GSM modem was integrated. Thus the system performance can be monitored at any time and either the Somali partner company based in Hargeisa or Phaesun can do system adaptions via the remote control system in case of any failure or problem.

About RevivED Water:

REvivED water, a research and innovation project, funded under the EU’s Horizon 2020 programme in the field of ‘low-energy solutions for drinking water’, brings together ten partners from six countries across Europe. This consortium will contribute to overcoming the drinking water challenge by establishing electrodialysis (ED) as the new standard for desalination of seawater and brackish water. This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 685579.

Location

  • Beyo Gulan, Somaliland

Project participants

  • Phaesun GmbH
  • Horn Renewables
  • Deukum GmbH
  • Other partners of the RevivED Water consortium

End user

  • Inhabitants and nomads of Beyo Gulan

Installation

  • May 2018

Size

  • Drinking water output: 400/day
  • Brine output: 100-200 l/day
  • 600 Wp solar system

System components

  • Revived Water desalination unit
    including pre- and post-Treatment
  • 3 x solar modules 200 Wp
  • 2 x batteries 120 Ah
  • Controlbox including charge controller
  • Installation material, water tanks, cables, connectors, pipes,
    geomembrane for evaporation pond