Abstract
The demand for fresh water supply across the globe is on the rise and is projected to keep rising in the future due to its heavy utilization across various sectors such as agriculture, industry, aquatic life and human consumption. To overcome this issue, focus is placed on improving the existing desalination systems and exploring ways in which renewable energy component can be integrated in desalination systems to make them sustainable. In this article the present desalination scenario, the significance of desalination to arid regions, energy requirements and renewable energy integration into desalination technology is reviewed and discussed. Moreover, this review paper focusses on a new concept of utilization of concentrating solar power for desalination and this integration has gained lot of attention worldwide due to its remarkable capabilities such as high output and simultaneous production of electricity and desalinated water. The underlying challenges of such integration and future scope for implementation of concentrating solar powered desalination technology is also presented. The literature involving the use of concentrated solar power was identified and classified in to experimental and theoretical approaches. The proposed integration will ensure less dependency on fossil fuels and also provides for a cleaner environment.