Optimal capacity planning for power cogeneration and desalination plants with renewable energy integration

To promote human welfare and enhance sustainability of global cogeneration plants, planning and optimizing power generation and water desalination is vital. To meet the growing needs for power and water, it is necessary to adopt systematic strategies for cost-effective expansion of infrastructure capacity. In this work, a model is developed to optimize the installation of cogeneration plants to meet future power and water demands during a specific time horizon. Specifically, the model selects the power and desalination system type, capacity, and installation time, as well as fuel type and amount. To demonstrate the applicability of the developed approach, a case study is solved to address Kuwait’s future power and water demands during a 20-year horizon to address its 3% annual population growth. The candidate planning scenarios include use of renewable energy, natural gas, carbon taxes, and combined membrane and thermal desalination methods. To provide an optimum plan based on different scenarios, the proposed model is robust and flexible. The results of this study can be extended for energy and water planning in arid countries that rely on desalination as the main source of freshwater, especially when considering use of renewable resources to limit the carbon footprint. The model's adaptability ensures it can be tailored to specific needs and conditions, providing a reliable solution for diverse planning scenarios.