Evaluation of a Desalination System Combining Photovoltaic and Membrane Technology: A Case Study on the Benefit Analysis of an Apple Orchard

Abstract

Water shortage is one of the main issues affecting agricultural development in many regions, and the problem of crop yield reduction caused by the salinisation of irrigation water has become increasingly prominent. Xinjiang is a major agricultural development province in China, with mostly remote agricultural land and an unstable electricity supply. We have introduced a combination of photovoltaic and reverse osmosis technology in the local Aksu region, using wastewater for irrigation to improve returns. In order to verify the feasibility of two schemes, we evaluated the benefits of the apple orchard after irrigation with desalinated water. The result shows that the net present value of the orchard has become 2.4 times that of the initial. It not only used secondary wastewater resources in the drainage canal, but also changed the trend of apple orchard profits declining year by year. The influence of various factors on the income of the orchard has obviously reduced, and the possibility of investment profit is greatly improved.