Solar distillation: a promising alternative for water provision with free energy, simple technology and a clean environment

Solar distillation presents a promising alternative for saline water desalination that can partially support humanity's needs for fresh water with free energy, simple technology and a clean environment. The development of solar distillation systems has demonstrated their suitability for the desalination process when the weather conditions are favorable and the demand is not too large, i.e., less than 200 m(3)/d. The problem of low daily productivity of the solar stills triggered scientists to investigate various means of improving still productivity and thermal efficiency in order to reduce water production cost. This paper presents an overall review and technical assessment of the various and up-to-date developments in single and multi-effect solar stills. The development in still configurations, the problems encountered with units during the course of operation as well as the impact on the environment are addressed.