German company installs photovoltaic powered seawater desalination plant in Ukraine

German company Boreal Light stated that it has completed the installation of a seawater desalination plant in Mykolaiv, Ukraine. The company claims that this system is the largest seawater desalination project in Europe that utilizes photovoltaic power, producing 125 cubic meters of clean water per hour using 560 W solar cell modules.

German company Boreal Light announced this week that it has completed the installation of its claimed largest solar desalination system in Europe. The total power of this system is 460 kWp, located in Mykolaiv, southern Ukraine, and can produce 125 cubic meters of clean water per hour.

The project was launched shortly after Russia's attack on Ukraine, as the main drinking water pipeline supplying Mykolaiv was bombed, "said Hamed Beheshti, CEO of Boreal Light, to Photovoltaic magazine. Mykolaiv faces serious water salinity issues due to its coastline and saltwater rivers, so we adopted the solution originally designed for developing countries

The characteristic of this system is to install 560 W single crystal photovoltaic modules on fixed brackets. The bracket is divided into five units, each of which can produce 25 cubic meters of clean water per hour. The salinity of the water source is as high as 13000 ppm. Besheti stated that the system is divided into five units for "safety reasons" and "higher" project adaptability.

The system does not use any batteries. It does not store energy, but clean water for future use. If the radiation from the sun fluctuates, the control mechanism of the system will distribute voltage between the three pumps to maintain a constant pressure in the pressure pipe. The pressure pipe is used as a filter for the reverse osmosis purification process in seawater desalination plants.

However, during the day with severe cloud cover, the machine will switch from the solar grid to three-phase 480 VAC power supply.

The German company stated that the production cost of water is approximately 0.22 euros ($0.23) per cubic meter, and the system has a minimum lifespan of 25 years. Regular maintenance includes replacing seawater desalination components such as filter membranes and prefilters every 4 to 5 years.

Besheti stated that during the two week installation process, the city suffered two missile attacks, one of which occurred near the installation site. Despite facing these difficulties, Besheti said he hopes the project can alleviate the "catastrophic challenges" caused by the war to local communities.