ENERGY BASED COMPARATIVE TECHNOECONOMIC ANALYSIS OF AN ACTIVE MODIFIED SOLAR STILL AND CONVENTIONAL STILL

This paper presents the energy payback times (EPBT) and payback periods of conventional single slope single basin solar still and modified solar still (a still with additional condensing surface) on the basis of embodied energy and annual yield output respectively. In both the approaches of analysis, the modified still shown its superiority by exhibiting 12.27% and 11.41% lower payback periods respectively than the conventional design. The comparative cost of distilled water produced through both the still also been calculated. The effect of various parameters, namely life span, salvage value and interest rate has been analyzed. The cost of distilled water estimated in the range of Rs. 0.65/$0.0085 to Rs.1.69/$0.022 per liter and Rs. 0.72/$0.0094 to Rs. 1.89/$0.025 per liter through the modified still and the conventional still respectively.