• Abdulkarim Omar Altaezi

Water scarcity is a pressing challenge in arid regions, and Saudi Arabia is expanding desalination capacity to secure its freshwater supply. This paper assesses the technical feasibility and economic viability of photovoltaic (PV)-powered reverse osmosis (RO) desalination for NEOM, on Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea coast. A consistent design case is developed for a 350,000 m3 d−1 plant at 45% recovery and a feed salinity of 41,000 ppm, typical of the Gulf of Aqaba. The feed osmotic pressure is about 3.1 MPa and the flux-based membrane area about 972,000 m2 (26,160 eight-inch elements in 3,740 vessels). At a 65-bar feed pressure, the specific energy consumption is 5.1 kWh m−3 without energy recovery and 2.9 kWh m−3 with energy recovery devices, within the state-ofpractice range. A PV array of about 1.07 km2 (190 MWdc, performance ratio 0.80) and battery storage of about 521 MWh sustain round-the-clock operation. Single-pass permeate of about 250 ppm TDS meets the WHO aesthetic guideline, while a second pass is recommended for boron margin and premium water. Capital cost is estimated at 560–890 million USD and the levelized cost of water at 0.6–1.1 USD m−3 (central value 0.8). PV-RO desalination is technically feasible and competitive for NEOM, with energy recovery and storage identified as the key cost drivers.

Reverse osmosis; Photovoltaic; Desalination; NEOM; Energy recovery; Levelized cost of water

"Solar-Powered Reverse Osmosis Desalination for NEOM: Technical Feasibility, Energy Sizing and Economic Assessment", International Journal of Emerging Technologies and Innovative Research (www.jetir.org), ISSN:2349-5162, Vol.13, Issue 9, page no.b245-b254, September-2026, Available :http://www.jetir.org/papers/JETIR2609129.pdf

"Solar-Powered Reverse Osmosis Desalination for NEOM: Technical Feasibility, Energy Sizing and Economic Assessment", International Journal of Emerging Technologies and Innovative Research (www.jetir.org | UGC and issn Approved), ISSN:2349-5162, Vol.13, Issue 9, page no. ppb245-b254, September-2026, Available at : http://www.jetir.org/papers/JETIR2609129.pdf