A concise review on performance improvement of solar stills

Abstract

Conversion of saline water into freshwater by the use of solar thermal energy is known as solar desalination and the devices used for carrying out solar desalination are known as solar stills. The major problem faced by the solar stills is that they have low productivity and therefore unable to meet the high demand for freshwater. Over the years, several researchers have worked on improving the productivity of solar stills. Preheating of feed water, forced convection and energy storage are some of the methods used to increase their efficiencies. Some of these methods are discussed in the present review. The main aim of the current review is to provide the researchers with an idea to select the appropriate method for the improvement in the performance of currently available solar stills.