review · Alexandria Engineering Journal
Solar stills offer a convenient way to desalinate water using solar energy, though their overall efficiency remains low. Thermoelectric materials can convert heat into electricity and electricity into heat, offering several ways to enhance solar still operations. When integrated into these systems, thermoelectric materials can function as coolers to boost condenser performance, or as heaters to warm saline water in the basin to speed up evaporation. Furthermore, thermoelectric generators can convert the thermal energy inside the system into electricity, creating a hybrid desalination and power-generation unit. Combining these materials with solar stills consistently improves water yield while adding electrical output. Further research is required to explore nighttime electricity production and the integration of thermoelectric components with accessories such as solar collectors and adsorption units.
Producing clean drinking water from saline or brackish sources using solar power is vital for water-scarce communities. However, conventional solar stills often yield limited output. Integrating thermoelectric materials addresses this bottleneck by simultaneously accelerating water production and generating electricity, offering a more effective dual-purpose solution for remote or off-grid water purification.
This research outlines concepts for manufacturers developing hybrid solar desalination and power units for communities needing potable water from saline or brackish sources. Because the findings are drawn from a review of modifications and highlight the need for further studies on nocturnal generation and accessory integration, the underlying technology sits at an early stage of applied research and development rather than near-market readiness.
AI-generated from the published abstract. Always read the original work before citing.
Solar still is a convenient tool for water desalination using solar energy, but it has low efficiency. Thermoelectric materials can convert thermal energy into electrical energy and vice versa. Thermoelectric materials have several applications in solar still water desalination systems. They can be used as a cooler to improve the performance of the solar still condenser or as a heater to enhance the evaporation process by increasing the temperature of saline water in the basin. Also, they can be used to generate electricity from thermal energy in solar still. The most significant modifications to solar still for producing potable water from saline or brackish water using thermoelectric materials are discussed and compared. It can be concluded that thermoelectric materials improve the performance of the solar: thermoelectric heaters or coolers increase the yield, and thermoelectric generators generate electricity as a hybrid system. More studies should be performed to address the nocturnal electricity generation, and the application of thermoelectric material with solar still’s accessories such as solar collector and adsorption unit.
This page summarises published work. The authoritative version sits with the publisher.
DOI: 10.1016/j.aej.2022.10.011
Is something wrong with this record? Report it or request removal.
Discussion
Have you built on this work, tried to replicate it, or seen it applied in practice? Share what you know. Verified researchers and MARATTO™ domain experts can open a discussion, and any member can reply. Contributions are reviewed before they appear.
No discussion yet. Open the first thread.
New to MARATTO™? Create a free account.
