ABSTRACT
ABSTRACT: Water resources shortage in GCC countries is the main challenging issue facing the rapid development in various sectors. Recent studies indicated that by 2025 water demand for domestic, agriculture and industrial use in GCC countries is projected to increase by more than 50%. With the rapid development of domestic, industrial, and agricultural water supplies, groundwater resources have been seriously depleted. This overexploitation of groundwater causes a lot of problems and the deterioration of entire ecosystems and thus endangers the livelihood of the entire region. This looming water crisis has boosted the implementation of desalination technologies. All desalination systems are highly energy intensive. Recently, the research community worked intensively on coupling desalination systems with renewable energy technologies in robust and cost effective autonomous small-scale desalination units. Solar photovoltaic, solar thermal and wind energy technologies are particularly advantageous for saving the required power sources for producing desalinated water. These renewable energy resources vary widely in technical and economic characteristics.
