Coordinated Scheduling of Power Generation and Water Desalination Units

Provision for potable water is an important priority for the world population. Seawater desalination is a promising technology that can address this need. Currently, desalinated water is the main or supplementary source of water for numerous countries; the technology can also be used in other regions, facing geographical or economic water shortage. However, desalination is an energy-intensive process. This paper offers a new perspective on desalinated water cost reduction through coordinated operation of power generation and water desalination plants. The paper, first, models the energy consumption of water desalination plants. This model is integrated into a unit commitment problem that optimizes the commitment and schedule of power generators and desalination plants. The benefits of coordinated operation are quantified using this modified unit commitment model. Simulation results on IEEE 118-bus test system show that the proposed coordination framework can save 21% to 40% of desalination energy payments, depending on the flexibility of desalination plants. The cost reduction in real systems depends on the power grid specifics, location of desalination plants, water production requirements, and other factors. This paper suggests that coordinated operation may provide substantial cost savings and should be carefully considered.