Improving the solar still productivity using thermoelectric materials: A review

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.