Realizing the promise of concentrating solar power for thermal desalination: A review of technology configurations and optimizations

The global freshwater crisis poses an existential threat to sustainable development worldwide. Desalination has emerged as a critical solution, but conventional fossil-fuel plants are energy-intensive and emit substantial greenhouse gases. Concentrating solar power (CSP) offers a promising renewable pathway to drive thermal desalination processes. However, CSP-desalination integration requires thoughtful system configuration design to maximize efficiency. This review consolidates insights from diverse case studies worldwide, highlighting the merits of CSP-desalination integration, such as significantly improved energy efficiency and sustainability through the utilization of renewable solar energy and enabling multi-generation systems for combined electricity, water, and heating services. The review's novelty lies in its systematic assessment of modeling simulations, pilot facilities, and commercial plants to elucidate key learnings on technical configurations and optimizations. It also proposes innovative configurations to enhance system efficiency and performance. The review identifies and analyzes optimization strategies employed in the reviewed case studies, including the role of thermal storage for 24-h operation, cogeneration for enhanced energy utilization, and multi-generation systems for combined electricity, water, and heating services. Recognizing the growing interest in hybrid systems, this review specifically examines the integration of thermal and membrane desalination processes driven by CSP, highlighting potential synergies and performance enhancements. The review provides a critical assessment of the diverse case demonstrations proving the technical viability of concentrated solar desalination under proper design conditions. It offers valuable insights on configurations that maximize renewable energy utilization and minimize water costs tailored to local ambient and operational parameters. Furthermore, it provides a forward-looking perspective by exploring the application of supercritical CO2 cycles in CSP-desalination systems, examining their potential for high-temperature heat supply without compromising power generation efficiency.