Integrated Wind-Water System

This project addresses the issue of clean, potable water supply using reverse osmosis (RO) treatment of brackish underground sources of water. Many communities face both short- and long-term water supply challenges in terms of both quantity and quality. RO water treatment systems are a common choice for addressing many of these issues. However, RO treatment is energy intensive, and using purchased electricity from the grid results in energy costs that often rule out the use of RO treatment. The use of renewable energy technologies, such as wind, provide a fixed cost of electricity over the lifetime of the project, and through proper integration, control, and dispatch of energy, the cost of the produced water could become more economical. Additionally, it is recognized that the treated water is a form of energy storage for the wind system, addressing the inherent intermittency characteristic of wind energy systems. Texas Tech University, through its Wind Science and Engineering Re