WWF India’s Renewables Beyond Energy Report

RE + : Renewables Beyond Electricity is a collection of detailed descriptions of innovative renewable energy applications, published by WWF India. The 2014 edition, which focused on solar air conditioning and desalination in India, featured Empereal-KGDS’s work on India’s first LFR (Linear Fresnel Reflector) based hybrid CSP plant in Ramanathapuram.

The CSP-powered desalination plant was commissioned by Empereal-KGDS and the National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT). The plant is designed to generate both power and desalinated water, while its integrated design to accommodate biomass allows its to run around-the-clock. Empereal-KGDS opted for an LFR system as it is a simple and reliable system, is cost-effective and land efficient.

The plant is able to generate an output temperature ranging from 110 degrees Celsius to 450 degrees Celsius. This allows the plant to produce desalinated water at a rate of 6,000 Litres/hour, reducing the salinity of the water from 26,000 ppm to 2 ppm. In total, the plant is able to produce electricity and potable water for around 7,500 residents in the Narippaiyur village, Ramanathapuram, Tamil Nadu, India.