Solar-powered desalination using hybrid membrane distillation for fresh water supply in remote areas

Water is a natural resource that is vital to sustain human life. In many coastal regions of Indonesia, however, limited access to fresh water is a major problem, with local groundwater resources often brackish and unsuitable for human consumption or agricultural use. Desalination could provide drinkable water from local brackish groundwater or seawater resources; however, civil infrastructure limitations can mean that sufficient electricity for desalination is not available. We propose developing a hybrid solar-powered membrane filtration system that could create potable water in remote locations from existing brackish water resources. The objective of this project would be to create a pilot membrane filtration system for brackish water desalination using solar power.