Solar Powered Water Desalination

This project developed locally-constructed solar water desalination
units and installed them in the remote community of
Cite Patate, providing these households with improved access
to drinking water . The project also demonstrated the use of
solar energy to desalinate water , an approach that may be
usable in other areas of the island nation of Mauritius.


The idea for this project emerged from a stakeholder’s workshop
held by SGP in Mauritius in which a presentation was
made by specialist in renewable energy at the University of
Mauritius. The president of the Rodrigues Council of Social Services, the grantee NGO, participated in the workshop and proposed this project for using solar energy to desalinate seawater. The technical design and prototype for the desalination
stills were prepared by this specialist at the University of Mauritius, who then wor ked with a local company that manufactures boats using fiberglass to produce 20 replicates of the prototype still that had been shipped to Rodrigues.The stills
were then installed in the backyards of the 21 families of Cite Patate. These families contributed to the project by building well for easy access to seawater, which is then placed in the still for desalination. For every 10 liters of seawater , 3-7 liters of drinking water are produced in a day. This water must still be treated with minerals before drinking. In fact it is helpful to add a pinch of salt to the desalinated water!
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