A Comprehensive Review of Solar Stills Performance and Design

The worldwide scarcity of potable water has increased significantly due to population expansion and the pollution of accessible water sources from anthropogenic activities. Solar stills are essential for supplying potable water via solar-powered distillation. Alterations, including phase change materials (PCM), nano fluids, and reflectors, markedly enhance heat retention and evaporation rates, leading to increased distillate production. Also, the efficacy of distillate production is significantly affected by design specifications, materials, and operational conditions. This paper delineates the passive and active designs, classifications of solar stills, single - effect and multi - effect kinds, and various improvements made to these types to augment yield, including heat storage, fins, reflectors, and collector types. Also, photovoltaic-thermal stills are encompassed in this review.