Coordinating the operation of water desalination and a renewables-rich electric power grid

Handling the variability associated with integrating large capacities of renewable energy sources (RES) to the power grid is a challenge that system operators have been encountering. On the other hand, the need for water desalination to produce sufficient freshwater in arid areas increases the importance of suitable energy sources for sustainable operation. This paper proposes coordinating the operation of a renewable-rich power system with the operation of grid-connected, reverse-osmosis (RO) water desalination plants (WDP) to minimize their combined operational costs and maximize the utilization of RES. A unit commitment model is presented that harnesses the energy flexibility of WDPs in day-ahead power system scheduling. From the power system operation standpoint, these WDPs will be considered as controllable demands. Simulation results demonstrate the benefits of the proposed coordination on enhancing system efficiency and reducing the combined operational costs of both systems.