Freshwater access issue has grown dramatically over the years due prominently to population increase, climate change, pollution. The simultaneous presence of freshwater scarcity, salt water reserves and high insolation in several locations in the world suggests the use of solar energy to feed desalination process. Since these locations are often situated in remote and underdeveloped regions it is crucial to utilize stand-alone, simple and economical technologies. A membrane distillation process coupled with a solar concentrator can meet these requisites. In this Thesis work it is proposed the model of a solar desalination system that includes a solar parabolic-dish concentrator (Trinum by INNOVA), a back-up conventional boiler, a sensible heat thermal storage, and a membrane distillation lab unit (by AQUASTILL), to perform simulations of operation in three different geographical locations: Turin (ITA), Palermo (ITA) and Abu Dhabi (UAE), and to provide a basic proof of concept.