Report on the 'Action for Good' session, IDA Perth

The Action for Good sub-session provides a follow-up forum to the IDA Portofino conference in May 2011.

We are reminded that over a billion people live without access to quality water supplies and adequate sanitation. The global desalination community has an opportunity to address these issues through a range of technological, knowledge and skills based and motivational instruments and the Corrado Sommavaria (in his opening comments) asks what the IDA can do in practice to be a more socially responsible organisation?

Emilio Gabbrielli describes the challenges. Access to clean water is essential for a dignified life. The cost of water must be appropriate to the equitable needs of people and, ideally, should reflect the full cost of the water, e.g. including the environmental costs of obtaining this water. One suspects that, historically, conventional sources of water have been charged at less than their full cost which may go some way to explaining why desalinated water – where the component costs may be readily audited – may be perceived to be the more expensive option. Charging for water is critical: a cost, however small, recognises that water has a value, encourages efficient use and provides an incentive to water management entrepreneurs (Tony Fane: ‘things given freely have no value perception’). Cost also encourages ownership and speakers stress that the long term sustainability of project interventions will only be fully realised where there is coincident training and education. Florien Bollen for example spoke of the opportunities for micro-finance initiatives and local empowerment (e.g. www.aquiva-foundation.de)

Rhys Anderson and Ralton Benn’s experience in providing water to remote Australian indigenous communities state that the keys to success are: honesty (be straight-up with the expectations), developing relationships, commitment from all partities involved, and innovation and continued improvements. More widely, and indicative of the good that the IDA/‘Action for Good’ can foster is transferability and transparency, as well as leverage of the desalination community players to recognise the opportunities for CSR.

Tony Fanes summed up many of these transferrable lessons from two particular slides in his presentation:

What went right? honesty, simple and easy to understand technology, successful knowledge transfer to the local partner and engagement priorities with local leaders, the disadvantaged and women.

What went wrong? unrest and corruption, reporting requirements, a lack of local support structure, and appropriate costing.

Recognition of the links between water supply and public health is critical. We are reminded by speakers in their examples, such as Herman Smit’s experience of installing small scale desalination in Informal Settlements in South Africa, of the tangible benefits of providing safe drinking water to people ‘at the bottom of the pyramid’. Volumes required need not be huge: the South African example can provide up to 300 litres per hour for an investment cost of up to $20K.

Greg Leslie highlighted the opportunities for recycling of desalination materials. I think I’ve already highlighted on this blog that the disposal to landfill of many of the waste products from desalination plants (such as RO filters) is staggering. We are told that many of these products may have come to the end of their manufacturer warranties and/or performance envelopes but still have useful and valuable application. Harnessing this potential of these products for second life operation has been demonstrated to bring huge benefits, e.g. for disaster and humanitarian relief (terrific examples were illustrated, including Australia Aid International / www.skyjuice.com.au).

Can solar power be used to help the problem of worldwide water scarcity?

Presentations by Karen Stummeyer and Toru Kannari in an IDA session considering Energy Sources, Use and Efficiency are compared and contrasted to conversations I’ve had with practitioners in the exhibition hall…

First, we have a geographical coincidence and advantage for solar desalination: the world’s sunniest places tend to be coincident with areas of greatest water scarcity.

The energy requirements for desalination are typically >50% of conventional production costs and so prohibitive to places that cannot afford these energy costs, have poorly developed energy infrastructure (e.g. remote communities) or where the ‘value-added’ to water and the customers ability to pay for the energy-water needs are minimal (e.g. large parts of the lesser industrialised world… coincidentally the regions in greatest need of water).

Stummeyer asks, ‘can solar powered desalination provide a sustainable solution?’

Presently solar desalination is in its infancy, there is a ‘steep learning curve’ and costs don’t appear to have the competitive edge for most applications. Energy storage is an issue: The presenters note that most large scale desalination facilities work best when they run continuously, solar radiation by contrast is subject to daily and seasonal variation, so we must look to storing energy if we don’t sell the energy directly to a grid and buy it back, integrating with conventional, hybridisation. Talk of ‘solar multiples’.

Kannari’s examples include Concentrated Solar Collectors of which there are several configurations (parabolic reflectors, towers, solar toughs). Solar energy is used to heat a medium such as oil to close to 400 degrees C of which an ‘excess’ can be stored (and drawn, still hot at night). The heat can be used directly for distillation of the saltwater or indirectly generating electrical power for pumps and RO systems. (These systems can also be backed-up with conventional energy if required.)

At face value, the environmental concerns about energy needs are minimised, but that does not mean that the water is necessarily any cheaper or that there is no significant impact on the environment. Stummeyer noted that the physical footprint of solar arrays may be high, and initial investment costs and subsequent repayment costs may be higher than conventional systems. Effective planning and optimisation of the design is also noted as important for cost and environmental minimisation, for example, Stummeyer observed that inland locations may have greater irradiance than coastal locations but are further from a seawater source so that additional pumping (and so more energy) is required.

In many aspects the issues considered with solar (large-scale, small-scale; on-grid, off-grid; energy storage; environmental concerns) are very similar to those concerning wind – see my IDA Portofino notes from Florien Bollen’s presentation for example.

I chatted with the representatives from General Electric on their trade stand. I said that I’d seen GE’s big signs around Perth advertising wind power solutions. Why are we not seeing more solar powered desalination plants? It will happen, incrementally and possibly in combination with other energy feeds. I’m told that a new breed of solar PV isn’t far away – same size, half the price, twice the output? Could this be a catalyst for low-cost desalination to address water scarcity issues?

Solar desalination can be much simpler. I chatted with F Cubed Australia Pty Ltd. They make a simple aluminium framed solar water processor – an evaporation still. For $400 and with very little electrical requirement up to 15 litres of freshwater can be produced from a panel approximately 3m squared. I’m reminded that the application of technology must be appropriate, affordable and adaptable to the environment and water needs.

How much does it cost to build a desalination plant?

How much does it cost to build and operate a desalination plant and how much does desalted water cost?

I’m increasingly coming to the conclusion that this question is tricky to answer. I’m conscious that when I see figures presented at the IDA World Congress I’ve always got to think and question what’s actually being presented. The cost of water is usually valued in volumetric terms, X number of dollars per metre cubed of the stuff, but are we necessarily comparing like with like?

Where is this cubic metre? Is it as delivered to your house or is it at the point of production?

Does the production cost reflect the capital and/or operational costs of the desalination plant? Where is the energy from? Are any of these component costs subsidised? Are we comparing like-for-like quality for our cubic metre?

Robert Huehmer’s presentation, titled Cost Modelling of Desalination Systems, answered some of these questions.

He notes that for the cost of a coffee you can have the equivalent of a week and a half of desalinated water. Maybe the coffee is too expensive? Getting the cost of desalination water right is an important element in the design, build and operation of the plant: get the estimate wrong, or carry too much contingency and the economic performance of the business is compromised.

Uncertainty is everywhere. Some are tangible, most are probabilistic, but the goalposts can change and Huehmer notes that historical baseline values can change – energy, interest rates, land values, subsidy and even currency devaluation. Is it any wonder when I ask around the Hall about the opportunity-risks for desalination in southern Africa I hear very cautious answers?

Cost Models provide a means for project managers to begin to make sense of the economics although I like the idea of ‘The Swag’ – phone a friend! – is right up there in terms of predictive performance.

Twitter link duly noted! http://t.co/wziOhSV

Note to self >>> investigate subsidies and the extent to which desalination is supported (or otherwise) by cost externalities…

Developing themes: water security and the Environment, the Australian experience

On Day 1 of the IDA World Congress, Perth, three keynote speakers addressed desalination through the lens of water scarcity, water security and the environment and the Australian experience. Speakers included: Sue Murphy (SM), Chief Executive Officer, Water Corporation; David Furukawa (DM), National Centre of Excellence in Desalination, Australia, and; Albert Goller (AG), Managing Director, Siemens Australia.

They discussed the motivations for desalination development in Australia, reflect on the experiences to date and the challenges for the future.

AG states that, “Water security is the base for a sustainable future” and notes:

Paradox 1: floods and droughts can occur at the same time*

Paradox 2: [with respect to energy needs to desalt water] reliable sources of energy are not clean and clean sources are not reliable.

Developments in Australian desalination have sought to address these issues by offering low carbon, climate independent water security.

Large scale desalination for domestic water production is relatively new in Australia, starting with the first Perth facility in 2006 and included in the ‘big six’ today. With the planned completion of the Melbourne plant anticipated by 2012, all major Australian cities will be served by desalination.

Recent rains have promoted the public perception that the building of these facilities may be folly, but cited rainfall statistics for recent years demonstrate a trend of decreasing rainfall. The desalination facilities may be considered an insurance, water security against future drought

‘It makes no sense to solve water problems by creating more greenhouse gas emissions’ (SM). All of Australia’s big six plants are said to operate at around 4kWh per cubic metre of water produced, a value generally accepted as the industry norm for larger facilities. Energy is purchased from wind and a wind-solar combination in the case of Adelaide and the Southern Perth plant (SM).

For Melbourne, the visual impact of the plant is minimised with green roofing (DF) and the building of a berm around the facility. Outfall diffusers are designed such that salinity is within 1% of background levels within 50m of injection.

Desalination is integrated with other water management interventions. These include water savings from demand management initiatives that, in the case of Perth are claimed (SM) to have reduced the city’s water consumption by 25%**. This has been driven by regulations that only allowing homes to water at night and watering restricted to two days in any given week.

Water is charged at between $1-2 per cubic metre. AG compares the cost of this commodity to $3 customers are likely to pay for a bottle of water and a significant proportion of Australians have no clue what their water bill costs.

Challenges remain and are identified (DF): increasing efficiency, lowering energy consumption, overcoming negative public perception, reducing the carbon footprint, enhancing renewable energy and further reduction in the cost of desalination. DF states that this all combines to reduce the cost of water.

Sustainable development is inherent with all of these challenges. The have been identified in a ‘gap analysis’ and are specifically addressed in the Australian Desalination Road Map where the fifth (of five) areas for R&D targets social, environmental and economic issues.

Environmental concerns include the disposal of waste materials. To illustrate, DF notes that if, unchecked, by 2015 the disposal to landfill of membrane cartridges alone could exceed 800 tonnes per year. (see SkyJuice examples from Portofino in earlier entries to the blog).

Education and public perception (a mental reconnection to the water environment) is an important element of building confidence and acceptance in desalination. DF describes Australia’s National Centre for Excellence in Desalination (see www.desalination.edu.au).

* AG was referring to the Australian case where one State may be experiencing drought while another is flooded, but if we consider structural drought then these conditions can occur in the same place at the same time.

**links to stats to support this claim? Domestic consumption? Price incentives?

Opening remarks - water security

Opening remarks from guest speakers at the IDA World Congress in Perth

Speakers addressed a broad range of water management topics that provided a setting for the desalination industry in general and Australia specifically (Perth is the venue for this, the 13^th IDA World Congress).

A video from and follow-up call to Sir Richard Branson highlighted the unique position that the water/desalination industry occupies. Water, he noted, has no economic substitute, is resilient to inflation, recession and rising interest rates. With falling desalination production costs, so energy costs no longer outweigh the benefits desalination can offer. The water industry provides wealth creation opportunities

The IDA Presidnet is Imad Makhzoumi. He described the Australian desalination examples as, “models of sustainability and environmental stewardship." The desalination industry has an environmental responsibility, including a drive to maximise energy efficiency and minimise the environmental footprint, and notes the recent “Action for Good” conference in Portofino, the IDA’s humanitarian outreach programme and recent Blue Paper concerning the environment and desalination in the Gulf.

Completed in 2006, the Perth desalination plant was described by The Bill Marmion, the Minister for the Environment – water, Western Australia, as, ‘setting new benchmarks’ for environmental compliance including the purchase of renewable energy for production and notes that desalination offers ‘climate resilience’

Singapore’s four national taps is presented in which desalination is integrated within a water management portfolio. This has been driven by necessity because Singapore measures only 30 x 20km but is home to over 5 million people. Malaysian imports of water are supported by catchment management promoting rainwater harvesting (every single rooftop and drain serves this function and must therefore be clean and efficient); water reuse – presently 30% of all supply water is reused, anticipated to rise to 50%, and; desalination. The Minister noted that effective water pricing is important to the transferability of the Singapore model – value the water appropriately within a stable political structure that encourages long term big investment. Singapore’s water agreements with Malaysia end in 2061 by which time Singapore aims to be self-sufficient in water.

This message of integrated water management solutions was echoed in the Australian case by Don Farrel, Parliamentary Secretary for Sustainability and Urban Water. He noted the increased uncertainty in water that Australian’s are faced with, as illustrated by a long term trending decline in net reservoir storage and notes that future water supplies must be climate independent. This, he says, requires international effort and information flows and noted that innovation was ‘alive and well’.

Tom Mollenkopt, Chief Executive of the Australain Water Association, described how with the opening of the 2^nd desalination facility for Perth, by 2012 between 10-40% of all Australian city water will be supplied from desalination. By contrast and by way of illustration of the pace of development, in 2006 this percentage contribution was minimal.

IDA World Congress, Perth, September 2011.

I'm at the International Desalination Association's World Congress in Perth, Western Australia for the week commencing Monday 5th September.

I'll report on areas of desalination that touch on geography, sustainable development and the environment, reflecting on specific presentations, present ideas and thoughts on specific topics and, where possible, try to collectively evaluate on themes that emerge.

Thoughts and ideas – Day 2, IDA conference, Portofino

1. Charging for water is important – even if the charge is small. It gives the user a sense of value of water and encourages wise use.

2. At face value there is huge opportunity for renewable energy RO in the developing world: the coincidence of water stressed regions with sunshine hours and wind. Wind power is a proven example in the case of Perth. The need for an electricity grid is essential in this case and so there is close association and dependence between energy provider and water provider. Is this association necessary? I like the idea of the sub-grid, particularly if the ‘buffer’ can be over-production at times of lots of wind to provide for lesser production under low-wind cases. So far, no papers or examples of combined wind/solar PV facilities.

3. I have reservations about desalination of groundwater because desalting groundwater may lead to further depletion of the groundwater water resource. My fear is that desalination wont necessarily deal with the fundamental imbalance between the water withdrawal and water use, but it does have role to play concerning contaminated in-flow.

4. Sustainable energy provision is already a huge issue in the developing world and a reliable and consistent supply of electricity may not be possible. If desalination is reliant on grid electricity then the uncertainty of electrical production may lead to an uncertainty of water production. If there are electrical load guarantees to desalination facilities, could this mean that electricity is diverted from other areas of need?

5. The big-small debate…

...is small scale is the most practical desalination solution I the developing world?

My understanding of the presentations is that small-scale production is advantageous because it puts water production in the hands of local communities and may foster greater stakeholder control over the water resource. Small community projects a can be a source of income generation and micro-finance opportunities for entrepreneurs.

What are the sustainable development implication scenarios? My thoughts:

If there is local accountability and understanding then there may be a better understanding and acceptance of the costs charged for water (e.g. through water kiosks run by local people). The systems must be robust and maintenance light. They may be modular and so can be easily scaled-up/down as the need requires. Charging for the water encourages a sense of value and efficient use.

A local community-based project is likely to be in sync with local understanding of the water environment.

‘Simple’ systems I describe as ‘slow’ desal systems (e.g. low pressure UF) and may not require pre-treatment. There will still be a waste product (if only the spent UF cartridge) and the discharge of this product into the environment cannot be ignored.

Small local facilities require less movement of the product water and the costs of water transfers are minimised. At the ‘water kiosk’ level the burden of transfer of water falls to the water user.

Large scale projects are increasingly centralised and regulated. This may bring greater opportunity for price control and subsidy – charging users who can afford to pay more to provide for those who cannot afford so much, for example a stepped/incremental tariff system.

Is water quality regulation more rigorous at the large scale?