Africa’s first solar-powered seawater desalination plant, the OSMOSUN plant, has produced more than 10 000 kℓ of drinkable water. This plant was created to respond to the water crisis facing the Western Cape in recent years, the worst drought this century has seen.
About the plant:
The plant is designed by Mascara, a company specializing in innovative water treatment solutions with the use of renewable energy to produce affordable drinking water for everyone. This project is initiated with the Stellenbosch University and funded by the Western Cape Government through an emergency drought fund on one hand and by the French Government on the other.
At its inauguration, the reverse osmosis solar desalination OSMOSUN® 13 SW installation was said to produce 100 m3 daily, powered exclusively by the related photovoltaic solar generator, and up to 300 m3 when connected to the local grid for operating outside the sunshine hours. This hybrid functioning mode is used to cover the water consumption peaks of the coastal village Witsand and its 3.000 inhabitants. And now it has produced more than 10 000 kℓ of drinkable water. This means that the plant is currently producing an average of 150 kℓ of drinkable water a day, bettering its initial production in the short amount of time its been running.
“It is an outstanding achievement that within just two months of operation the desalination plant is already surpassing 10 000 kℓ of drinkable water,” enthused Wesgro CEO Tim Harris.
“The installation further endorses that Cape Town and the Western Cape has successfully emerged as a water resilient destination and a world leader in sustainability. A resilient destination is even more attractive to tourists and investors alike and, therefore, a key component of our economic promotion of the destination now and into the future.”
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