<p>Solar desalination is a method that harnesses solar energy to transform saltwater or brackish water into potable freshwater. This study experimentally investigates a single-slope solar still combined with a thermal energy storage (TES) system. Innovative fin designs were incorporated into the TES unit to enhance its energy storage efficiency. Initially, the performance of a conventional single-slope solar still (CSS) was tested at various water depths: 1&#xa0;cm, 2&#xa0;cm, 3&#xa0;cm, and 4&#xa0;cm. The findings revealed that a water depth of 2&#xa0;cm is optimal for evaluating the effectiveness of the modified solar still. V-corrugated fins and a novel flat plate fin design were incorporated within the PCM domain to improve thermal conductivity and accelerate the phase change process. The v-corrugated fins are engineered to increase the heat transfer surface area and induce localized convection within the PCM, while the plate fin serves as a simple yet effective alternative for enhancing thermal dispersion. The performance of CSS with a corrugated surface and TES was tested in three configurations: first, with an energy storage unit in CSS (SSWTES); second, with a v-corrugated fin attached to the basin plate within energy storage unit (SSWCF); and third, with a v-corrugated fin attached to the basin plate with a parallel plate at the other end within energy storage unit (SSWCF + PP). The experimental results for these three cases of modified solar still demonstrated daily productivity enhancements of 26.95%, 61.32%, and 77.34%, respectively. Consequently, the third case outperformed the others with a daily productivity of 4540&#xa0;mL m⁻². Furthermore, a comparison revealed that the cost of water production was lower with a shorter payback period for the SSWCF + PP. The enviro-economic analysis revealed that the net CO₂ emissions (NCEM) and carbon credits earned (CCE) for Case III were 15.57 tons and 311.45 USD, respectively, against 9.22 tons and 184.31 USD for CSS.</p>