The global issue of drinking water scarcity has become a pressing concern, affecting populations worldwide. Even in the Algerian desert regions, notably the El Oued region in southeastern Algeria, the challenge of drink-ing water shortages persists despite the abundant presence of underground saline water. This study explores the viability of solar distillation as a cost-effective solution, leveraging renewable energy, specifically solar en-ergy, to convert saltwater into potable water. As solar energy is inherently intermittent, the need for energy storage arises to optimize water production. This scientific study presents a comprehensive investigation into the performance of three solar still configurations: SSR (Reference Solar Still), SSM1 (Solar Still with natural coal), and SSM2 (Solar Still 2 with industrial coal). The research evaluates their water productivity and thermal efficiency to discern the impact of natural and industrial coal on the distillation process. The experimental re-sults reveal a significant disparity in water productivity among the three solar stills. SSM2, featuring industrial carbon in its water basin, outperforms both SSR and SSM1 with a remarkable distilled water output of 366ml. In contrast, SSR yields 271ml, and SSM1 produces 297ml. Thermal efficiency, a crucial parameter reflecting the utilization of solar energy, also exhibits notable differences. SSM2 demonstrates superior thermal efficiency at 14.986%, surpassing both SSR (11.25%) and SSM1 (12.57%).

Distilled Water; Solar Still; Solar Energy; Solar Distillation.