The utilization of renewable energy for desalination can solve the problems of energy crisis and fresh water shortage .
steam based on Rankine cycles are responsible for the majority of electric power generation in the world today. The technology is readily applicable to solar thermal systems as long as the energy collected can be transported to a central power block. Water is first compressed by a feed-water pump, then boiled and superheated before being expanded through a turbine which turns an electric generator. The low-pressure steam is then condensed in a heat exchanger and fed back to the feed-water pump to be reused. .
A combined heat and power boiler is equipped with the Rankine cycle to produce electricity. This cycle is composed of four key parts: the generation of high-pressure steam, a turbine, a condenser, and a pump. Steam is generated in the boiler and then transferred to the turbine. Depending on the production setup (i.e., the preferred outcome and local restrictions, such as the cooling sources available), the back-end pressure of the turbine may vary between locations and individual plants. A lower pressure means a higher production of electricity but at the expense of less usable heat from the condenser.
The Rankine cycle is considered the most common and competitive power generation cycle to produce electricity from solar thermal energy