Solar desalination is a common technology used around the globe. With rising
population and declining access to fresh water, turning saline water in a usable
resource is vital for everyday applications. This report discusses the current
technologies for general solar desalination devices, whether it be a single effect or
multi-effect, direct solar or indirect solar. Solar radiation increases the temperature of
saline water both directly and indirectly, condensers turn desalination water vapor into
liquid, and heat exchangers facilitate the heating and cooling of the system. For
small-scale, solar desalination there are a limited number of technologies that make
sense from a technical perspective.
