Abstract
Besides the conventional thermal distillation process, other desalination processes have been possible by the application of the active utilization of solar energy. These processes include electrodialysis, reverse osmosis, freezing, ... etc. Undoubtedly, solar desalination is considered the best alternative to provide fresh water in remote arid areas. The selection of the appropriate solar desalination process is a unique problem ever done by processes comparison. In this paper, the evaluation of the possible solar desalination processes will be carried. The Arabian Gulf region will be used as a reference for the evaluation study. Comparison with the fossil fuel powered desalination plants will also be presented to justify the recommendation of the selected solar desalination process.