Search Results (2)

The viability of the family-scale solar still (F-SSS) desalination plant in nine low- and middle-income Central American and Caribbean sites, with improper water treatment facilities and supply networks, has been analyzed and reported in detail. The sizing of the desalination plant was done based on the still’s performance, clean water requirement and solar radiation potential. The still’s performance was estimated using an experimentally validated thermodynamic model. Annual desalinated water productivity per still was about 979.0 L (highest) and 836.0 L (lowest) in Port-au-Prince and Belize City, respectively. The lowest and highest potable water production price was observed in Havana (19.75 to 20.22 USD/m³) and Port-au-Prince (59.23 to 60.62 USD/m³) due to their low and high local interest rates, respectively. The decarbonization potential of the F-SSS desalination plant with a 25-year lifetime ranged between 37 and 641 tons of CO₂ emission. The specific CO₂ generated was found to be the least and highest in San Salvador (4.24 to 4.34 g/L of desalinated water) and Port-au-Price (13.70 to 14.04 g/L of desalinated water), respectively. The energy, finance payback time and sustainability index of the F-SSS desalination plant ranged between 0.59 and 0.67 years, 1.2 and 18.0 months, and 1.03 and 1.04, respectively. The performance, economic and environmental aspects revealed positive signs on the applicability of the F-SSS desalination plant in Central American and Caribbean sites for reliable and sustainable clean water supply. However, this process can be ratified if the concerned governments implement a reasonable subsidy, as is the case with other renewable energy systems. Full article

The cruise line industry (CLI) provides an opportunity to rapidly improve national (and regional) economies in destinations. However, lack of planning and proper preparation by destination authorities and the cruise industry can have significant impacts on the local community, commerce, and environment. This paper identifies and quantifies near-shore challenges between the national authorities and the CLI that include port facility preparedness and the potential stresses on local infrastructure. These key parameters used to quantify the impact of the CLI on established destinations can potentially become part of the analysis, negotiation, and communication between all parties involved (government, business, and tourists) as part of the contribution to ensure sustainable CLI destinations. The Port of Havana, Cuba was selected as the study site and was compared against similar cruise line destinations around the Meso-American region (Philipsburg, Sint Maarten, Belize City, Belize, and Progreso, Mexico). The Port of Havana’s natural infrastructure and the carriage available for the incoming ship (i.e., nautical charting) appear to be adequate for welcoming increased cruise ship traffic. The main concerns are the potential toll on local resources including the impact on port traffic and the local infrastructure required to support tourists once they depart the ship. Full article