Production of fresh water by a solar still : an experimental case study in Australia

There is a scarcity of fresh water in many rural communities where solar stills can be used to produce drinking water at a minimal cost. These stills use solar energy, which is a sustainable form of energy, and hence this can contribute towards achievement of United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDG). This study aims to develop empirical models of a solar stills based on experimental data obtained at Werrington South, New South Wales, Australia. Two solar stills were used in the experiment, a conventional design (Con-Still) and a con-still modified with adding extra thermal mass inside the still (mod-still). Regression analysis was adopted to develop prediction equations using Pi (productivity in L/m2/day) as the response variable and ambient temperature (Ta), sky temperature (Ts19), global radiation (Gh), and wind velocity (W) as the predictor variables. The mean and median productivity values of the mod-still were found to be 17%, and 22% higher than that those for the con-still. The proposed mod-still can be further improved and used in rural areas to produce fresh water from sea water and other forms of contaminated water.