Description

Solar ponds have been used at small scale as a low-tech and environmentally friendly source of electricity. The principle of solar ponds is simple: Water in salt lakes is heated up, the heat is used in a traditional heat engine to produce electricity. A big advantage of this technology is that the electricity can be generated at any time of the day. The only resources that are needed are fresh and saline water, sunshine, and land.
In Chott el Djerid, Tunesia, all these elements are available. However, the freshwater is now used for irrigation, such that natural lakes have fallen dry. Could it be economically viable to use some of the freshwater for solar ponds instead? In this study you will use satellite indicators of the energy balance (radiation, temperature and reflectance), basic computations of the lake energy balance and electricity yield efficiency, and evaporation losses to answer this question. The focus may also be on the socio-economic aspects, including a cost-benefit analysis, freshwater redistribution, land use and electricity transport to cities.

Objectives and Methodology

In this topic, you will investigate the potential of solar ponds as an alternative environmentally friendly source of energy. Solar pond power plants are low-tech installations that only require salt, freshwater, sunshine and land. All these ingredients are available in Chott el Djerid, Tunesia. You will use satellite data and other spatial information to investigate the potential viability of solar pond power plants in this area.

Further reading