The potential of wind energy for the operation of reverse osmosis water plants in the Bahamas

The purpose of this research is to examine the prospects of integrating wind power and desalination technology to increase water supply in the Bahamas. The primary source of freshwater in the Bahamas is groundwater from the Ghyben-Hertzberg freshwater lenses (Cant & Weech, 1989). The country's water resources are being threatened by human activity, which has impacted the fresh water/salt water equilibrium. This paper analyzes the cost effectiveness of a small scale wind powered sea water reverse osmosis system in The Bahamas. Three islands have been examined to carry out this study, which includes New Providence, Andros and San Salvador to identify and map optimum locations for locating potential areas for wind-powered desalination plants. The methodology will be based on using GIS techniques to examine wind speed characteristics and land use map patterns. Because of the constraints of having a limited amount of GIS data for the Bahamas, the results provided may not properly evaluate all sites where wind powered reverse osmosis plants can be located, but it will give an idea where these plants may be most useful in communities with a small population. Based on the available wind data provided, large scale generation of electricity by wind may be less feasible, while small scale wind generation may benefit remote locations with a small population, where other power sources to desalinate water are unavailable or expensive.