Due to the scarcity of fresh, potable groundwater and the unreliability of the electric grid in many parts of rural India, there is a great need for off-grid desalination systems. Current research in the GEAR Lab has been focusing on off-grid, photovoltaic-powered electrodialysis reversal (PV-EDR) desalination. Capital cost is a major barrier to the adoption of desalination technologies in India, and the power system of off-grid PV-EDR systems is the major contributor to the high capital cost of current systems. For this reason, this project is focused on designing the minimum-cost power system for EDR that can meet local water demand. Photovoltaic power is a desirable and logical choice because high solar irradiance is abundant in the regions of India with the greatest desalination needs.

At the groundwater salinity levels of India, EDR requires approximately 50% less energy and wastes less water than reverse osmosis (RO), the most prevalent desalination technology available. Given the complexity of the relationships within the PV-EDR system, system optimization is required to design the lowest-cost system for a given location. The goal of this research is, firstly, to develop a method for cost-optimizing an off-grid PV-EDR desalination system that meets location-specific water requirements. The next stage of the research is building and testing a PV-EDR prototype in a village in India.

Peer-Reviewed Journal Articles

Voltage- and Flow-Controlled Electrodialysis Batch Operation: Flexible and Optimized Brackish Water Desalination
He, W., Le Henaff, A., Amrose, S., Buonassisi, T., Peters, I.M., Winter V, A.G., Desalination (2020) || download

Field demonstration of a cost-optimized solar powered electrodialysis reversal desalination system in rural India
He, W., Amrose, S., Wright, N.C., Buonassisi, T., Peters, I.M., Winter, A.G., Desalination (2020) || download

Design of spiral-wound electrodialysis modules
Wright, N.C., & Winter, A., Desalination (2019) || download

Optimization and design of a low-cost, village-scale, photovoltaic-powered, electrodialysis reversal desalination system for rural India
Bian, D.W., Watson, S.M., Wright, N.C., Shah, S. R., Buonassisi, T., Ramanujan, D., Peters, I.M., & Winter, A., Desalination (2018) || download

Advantages of Operation Flexibility and Load Sizing for PV-Powered System Design
Watson, S., Bian, D., Sahraei, N., Winter V, A.G., Buonassisi, T., & Peters, I.M., Solar Energy (2018) || download

A Robust Model of Brackish Water Electrodialysis Desalination with Experimental Comparison at Different Size Scales
Wright, N. C., Shah, S. R., Amrose, S.E., & Winter, A., Desalination (2018) || download

Justification for Community-Scale Photovoltaic-Powered Electrodialysis Desalination Systems for Inland Rural Villages in India
Wright, N.C. & Winter, A., Desalination (2014) || download

Peer-Reviewed Conference Articles

Effects of Temporal Parameters of Pulsed Electric Field Operation on Desalination Performance and Water Dissociation in Electrodialysis
Honarparvar, S., Al-Rashed, R., and Winter, A. AIChE Annual Meeting (2021). Boston, MA.

Preliminary Field Test Results from a Photovoltaic Electrodialysis Brackish Water Desalination System in Rural India.
He W., Wright N.C., Amrose S., Buonassi T., Peters I.M., Winter V A.G., Proceedings of the 44th Design Automation Conference (DAC), ASME IDETC/CIE, (2018) Quebec City, Quebec, Canada

Model and Experimental Validation of a Spiral-Wound Electrodialysis Module
Wright, N.C., & Winter, A., Proceedings of the International Desalination Association World Congress on Water Reuse and Desalination (2017), IDA17WC-57872, Sau Paulo, Brazil

Sustainability Analysis of PV-Powered Electrodialysis Desalination for Safe Drinking Water in the Gaza Strip
Ramanujan D., Wright, N. C., Truffaut S., von Medeazza G., & Winter, A., Proceedings of the International Desalination Association World Congress on Water Reuse and Desalination (2017), IDA17WC-58045, Sau Paulo, Brazil

Cost-Optimization of Solar-Powered Electrodialysis Reversal Systems for Desalination in Rural India
Bian, D., Watson, S.M., Wright, N.C., Shah, S., Peters, I. M., Ramanujan, D., Buonassisi T., & Winter, A., Proceedings of the International Desalination Association World Congress on Water Reuse and Desalination (2017), IDA17WC-58067, Sau Paulo, Brazil

Village-Scale Electrodialysis Desalination: Field Trial Validation
Wright, N.C., & Winter, A., Design Automation Conference ASME IDETC/CIE (2017)

Design of a Village-Scale PV Powered Electrodialysis Reversal System for Brackish Water Desalination in India 
Wright, N.C., Van de Zande, G.D., & Winter, A., The International Desalination Association World Congress on Desalination and Water Reuse (2015)

Energetic and Socioeconomic Justification for Solar-Powered Desalination Technology for Rural Indian Villages
Wright, N.C., & Winter, A., ASME IDETC/CIE (2014)

Theses

Simple, sustainable, water straight from the sun - batteryless electrodialysis desalination
Jon Bessette, Master’s Thesis (MIT, May 2022)

Feasibility and Design of Solar-Powered Electrodialysis Reversal for Agriculture Applications
Jacob Easley, Master’s Thesis (MIT, May 2022)

Predictive Time-Variant Photovoltaic Electrodialysis Reversal: A Novel Design Optimization using Predictive Machine Learning and Control Theory
Grace Connors, Master’s Thesis (MIT, May 2021)

Time-Variant Solar-Powered Electrodialysis Reversal Desalination for Affordable Off-Grid Clean Water Supply
Le Henaff, A-C., Master's Thesis (MIT, Sept 2019)

Design of cost-optimized village-scale electrodialysis systems for brackish water desalination
Wright, N.C., PhD Thesis (MIT, 2018)

Cost optimization of a solar-powered electrodialysis desalination system
Watson, S., Master's Thesis (MIT, 2017)

Design, development, and field-testing of a cost-optimized village-scale, photovoltaic-powered, electrodialysis reversal water desalination system for rural India
Bian, D., Master's Thesis (MIT, 2017)

Justification of village scale photovoltaic powered electrodialysis desalination systems for rural India
Wright, N. C., Master's Thesis (MIT, 2014)

Press

Prof. Winter and GEAR Lab win J-WAFS seed funding grant, on MIT J-WAFS news

Desalination work featured in "3Q: Robert Armstrong on 10 years of energy research at MIT", on MIT News

Desalination work featured in "Celebrating Energy at MIT", on MIT Energy Initiative

“Water is Life”, the video on our desalination work in India wins the New England Emmy Awards, on MIT News

“Water is Life”, the video on our desalination work in India wins the 2017 Regional Edward R. Murrow Award for Excellence in Video, in RTDNA

Natasha Wright Graduate Winner of the Lemelson-MIT Student Prize "Eat it!", on MIT News

Natasha Wright Named to Forbes's '30 Under 30 - Energy,’ in Forbes

Cleaning Water without the Grid, on MIT News

Natasha Wright's student profile, on MIT News

USAID Desalination Prize, First Place, in The Boston Globe