Optimal design and scheduling of a solar-assisted domestic desalination systems

•A novel solar-assisted skid-mounted membrane based desalination system has been proposed for domestic purposes.•A multi-period optimization formulation has been developed to determine the design and scheduling.•A case study has been solved to illustrate the merits of the proposed desalination system and design and scheduling approach. The objective of this work is to develop a systematic approach for the design and scheduling of a novel skid-mounted solar-assisted membrane distillation (MD) system that can be used for domestic purposes and in remote areas that are not supported by fresh water infrastructure. Storage tanks are used to collect thermal energy and to supply the feed to the MD system while PV cells are connected to electric-energy storage batteries to drive the pumping. Gas tanks are used to supplement the solar thermal energy as needed. An optimization formulation is developed to determine the number and size of the storage tanks, the operating variables, the collection and dispatch times, the extent of solar and fossil-energy uses, and the operating schedule for the integrated system. A case study is solved to illustrate the merits of the proposed desalination system and design and scheduling approach.