In this paper, a study of the energy performance of a solar powered vacuum membrane distillation coupled with liquid ring vacuum pump was investigated through various energy evaluation criteria. This analysis was investigated for the twelve months of the year. The results showed that the average daily production varied over the months from 598 to 217 kg/day. The average specific energy consumption, the average gained output ratio and the average energy efficiency were between 671 and 699 kWh/m(3), 0.93-1.01 and 56.2-59.3% respectively. The maximum productivity and the best energy performance were that of June which is the month corresponding to the most important solar radiation. In addition, it was observed that vacuum liquid ring pump is characterized by a lower electrical energy consumption, which varies during the year between 4.2 and 7.47 kWh/m(3). Besides, the effect of the vacuum level applied and liquid ring temperature on the energy performance was examined. Obviously, the results reveal that while increasing the vacuum, the specific energy consumption decreases. Moreover, it has been demonstrated that using an operating liquid at reduced temperatures reduces the flow rate required to ensure total condensation and decreases energy loss and specific energy consumption. (c) 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.