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Distillation of water is energy intensive, and the use of solar energy for this purpose has been quite well developed and applied in many places. The performance of a simple basin greenhouse-type solar still coupled to a flat plate collector is experimentally investigated. The Saharan sites of Algeria enjoys bright sunshine and dry weather during most part of year The objective of the work is to improve the performances of a simple single basin solar still, we test the distillation system in winter, under desert climatic conditions, to improve the quality and increase the quantity of distilled water, by using a solar collector for increasing the brine temperature, enhancing the evaporation process of a simple solar still and improving distillate collection process.

Experiments have been conducted in Adrar, Algerian desert town (27degrees18'N, latitude, 0degrees17'W longitude). The daily still productivity in winter period varies from 4.5 l/m(2)/day to 5.3 l/m(2)/day with variation of water level from 1.5 cm to 3.5 cm.