thumb|Solar water disinfection in Indonesia Solar distillation can be used to make saline or brackish water potable. The first recorded instance of this was by 16th-century Arab alchemists.Tiwari (2003), pp. 368–71 A large-scale solar distillation project was first constructed in 1872 in the Chilean mining town of Las Salinas.Daniels (1964), p. 6 The plant, which had solar collection area of , could produce up to per day and operate for 40 years. Individual still designs include single-slope, double-slope (or greenhouse type), vertical, conical, inverted absorber, multi-wick, and multiple effect. These stills can operate in passive, active, or hybrid modes. Double-slope stills are the most economical for decentralized domestic purposes, while active multiple effect units are more suitable for large-scale applications.
thumb|Solar water disinfection in Indonesia Solar distillation can be used to make saline or brackish water potable. The first recorded instance of this was by 16th-century Arab alchemists.Tiwari (2003), pp. 368–71 A large-scale solar distillation project was first constructed in 1872 in the Chilean mining town of Las Salinas.Daniels (1964), p. 6 The plant, which had solar collection area of , could produce up to per day and operate for 40 years. Individual still designs include single-slope, double-slope (or greenhouse type), vertical, conical, inverted absorber, multi-wick, and multiple effect. These stills can operate in passive, active, or hybrid modes. Double-slope stills are the most economical for decentralized domestic purposes, while active multiple effect units are more suitable for large-scale applications.