Solar Powered Desalination Unit

A Solar Powered Desalination Unit designed for remote communities has been tested in the Northern Territory of Australia.

The Reverse Osmosis Solar Installation (known as ROSI) combines solar energy with membrane filtration to provide a reliable and clean drinking water stream from sources such as brackish groundwater. Renewable energy overcomes the usually high energy operating costs as well as greenhouse emissions of conventional reverse osmosis. ROSI can also remove trace contaminants such as arsenic and uranium that may cause certain health problems, and minerals such as calcium carbonate which causes water hardness.

Project leader Dr Andrea Schaefer from the University of Wollongong's Faculty of Engineering said ROSI has the potential to bring clean water to remote communities throughout Australia that do not have access to a town water supply and/or the electricity grid.