Green and Self-Powered Desalination Plant

Green and Self-Powered Desalination Plant
 

News: Recently, the National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT), an autonomous institute under the Union Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) is establishing a Green and Self-Powered Desalination Plant in Lakshadweep.
 

Background:
 The NIOT is working on an initiative to provide potable water in six islands of Lakshadweep using Low Temperature Thermal Desalination (LTTD) technology. The NIOT is now trying to make this process emission-free.
 Currently, the desalination plants, each of which provides at least 100,000 litres of potable water every day, are powered by diesel generator sets.
 

About:
 The proposed desalination plant will use a combination of renewable energy sources like solar, wind, and wave energy to power the plant. The plant will be equipped with reverse osmosis (RO) technology to desalinate seawater and produce potable water. The NIOT plans to set up the plant in one of the islands, where there is a high potential for renewable energy generation.
 The plant is the first of its kind in the world as it will generate drinking water from sea water using indigenous technology, green energy and environmentally friendly processes and it is self-powered.
 The process of LTTD is not fossil-fuel free and also consumes diesel and works by diesel generator sets, a precious commodity in the islands that has to be shipped from the mainland critical for powering the electric grid.

What is LTTD technology?
 LTTD is a desalination technique that turns seawater into drinkable water.
 This method is based on the idea that ocean water 1,000 to 2,000 feet below the surface is 4–8°C colder than surface water. Therefore, a tank is used to collect and apply high pressure to salty surface water (via an external power source).
 The vaporized water under pressure is contained in tubes or a chamber. Cold ocean water is drawn up via these tubes, where the vapour condenses to create fresh water and the salt that results is diverted away and the condensed fresh water can be used for drinking