Energy and exergoeconomic analysis of solar stills integrated with thermoelectric technology: A case study on environmental and economic sustainability

Achieving sustainable access to safe water is crucial for the advancement of civilizations. Utilizing solar energy, a clean and renewable resource, for water purification offers significant environmental and economic benefits. This study integrates thermoelectric technology into solar stills. The hot side of the thermoelectric module serves as a heater, equipped with attached heat sinks, while the cold side functions as a condenser in a dedicated chamber. Comparative results demonstrate that the solar still with thermoelectric technology achieves superior energy and exergy output on both daily and annual scales, along with higher energy and exergy efficiencies, when compared to conventional solar stills. The Unit Annual Benefit (UAB) was 51$ (41.2 %) higher, and the benefit-cost ratio was 6.8 times greater for the thermoelectric-integrated solar still. Annual water production reached 698.57 L/m2, representing a 41.2 % improvement over the traditional design, accompanied by a 5.1 % reduction in water production cost per liter (now 0.037$). Additionally, the thermoelectric-enhanced solar still demonstrated superior performance in environmental, exergoenvironmental, exergoeconomic, and enviroeconomic metrics, while reducing CO₂ emissions by 28.2 % compared to the conventional solar still.