Solar trough concentration for fresh water production and waste water treatment Presented at EuroMed 2006 conference on Desalination Strategies in South Mediterranean Countries: Cooperation between Mediterranean Countries of Europe and the Southern Rim of the Mediterranean. Sponsored by the European Desalination Society and the University of Montpellier II, Montpellier, France, 21-25 May 2006

The present paper examines the concept of utilizing trough type solar concentration plants for water production, remediation and waste treatment. Solar trough plants are a mature technology which deserves to be diffused throughout the European Union and in the partner countries of the Mediterranean Area. The present study is intended to find applications of the solar through concentration technology beyond heat and refrigeration. At the present stage, a number of possibilities have been identified; the main ones which will be considered here are related to clean water production by processes such as solar distillation, atmospheric condensation, and waste processing. Although the technical feasibility of the proposed applications is not in discussion, before attempting to put such applications into practice, well discuss their potential economical and environmental benefits in comparison to existing solutions.