Passive solar still (basin distillation) — the simplest, most durable, most area-hungry option
#00059
A black-lined basin of saltwater under a sloped glass cover: sun evaporates the water, it condenses on the glass and runs off as distillate. No moving parts, no consumables, repairable with local materials — but output is ~4–6 L/m²/day, so area demand is the binding constraint.
Charles (Carlos) Wilson, engineer· 1872–1912· Neighborhood
First large-scale solar desalination plant, built in the Atacama Desert to supply freshwater to a saltpeter/silver mining community and its draft animals using highly saline mine effluent (~140,000 ppm) as feed. The ins…
Still area~4,450m²
Freshwater output~20,000–23,000L/day
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