Solar assisted sea water desalination: A review

Seawater desalination is an important process to meet the increasing demand for fresh water demand; however, it is highly energy intensive due to the high salinity of the source. Studies on using solar energy to drive seawater desalination are very actively being pursued. This paper reviews the current solar desalination research activities first, followed by discussions of solar assisted desalination processes and a variety of possible combinations. Solar assisted desalination has been proved technically feasible; however the combined solar and fossil fuel desalination, and desalination using low grade waste heat could be more cost effective at this time. Though solar assisted desalination processes have not been commercialized as yet, with the current ongoing research, they remain a valid option for future desalination plants.