Within the framework of the technological scientific cooperation between Midwest Research Institute - National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) Division in Colorado / USA and the(National Center for Research and development \ ERP-Energy Research Program ) (NERC) in Amman / Jordan, a photovoltaic solar powered reverse osmosis brackish water facility has been installed within the campus of Aqaba International Industrial Estate (AIIE) to meet the demand of potable water estimated at 8000 m3 per year for the AIIE.
The RO facility was financed by a United States Agency for International Development (USAID) grant through the project named “Solar Powered Desalination and Pumping Unit for Brackish Water in Jordan”. Also, the AIIE was financed by a USAID grant.
The AIIE is owned by the Jordan Industrial Estates Corporation (JIEC), a semi-governmental organization with public and private sector participation. The AIIE is located within the Aqaba Special Economic Zone Authority (ASEZA).
PBI Aqaba Industrial Estate LLP (PBI Aqaba), a subsidiary of Parsons Brinckerhoff International (PBI), a leading US civil engineering company, and SUTA Construction, a substantial Turkish land development company, has a 30 year concession to plan, finance, develop, market and operate the AIIE.
PBI Aqaba, as an investor of the RO facility, has rented a plot of land from JIEC at the AIIE to construct and install the RO facility on. A well with 100 m depth was drilled by the Water Authority of Jordan (WAJ) in the chosen site to extract brackish water over the life of the project.
In addition to the installed solar power supply system (16.8 kWp) of the RO facility, a utility grid connection was obtained by PBI Aqaba to electrify the lighting and the air conditioning systems within the facility. Also, electricity from the utility grid may be used to operate the RO facility up to 24 hours per day according to the water demand of the AIIE.
The desalinated water of the RO facility will be pumped free of charge to the main water reservoir of the AIIE wherein mixed with the water of the WAJ to be sold together against money to the customers of the AIIE in a better quality, thanks to the RO facility.
The infrastructure for the facility was completed in August, 2005. The facility was installed and operated in September, 2005.
The installed RO facility is expected to produce 15 GPM (3.4 m3/h) of fresh water at a recovery ratio of 60 %, according to its rated specifications. The TDS of the brackish water is about, which is reduced by the RO unit to 70 ppm.
According to the amount and the quality of the permeate water being produced by the RO facility, PBI Aqaba may depend completely on the RO facility to meet the demand of potable water at the AIIE