The performance and stability of a 0.64 m(2) mini solar pond were experimentally and numerically studied. The experimental results showed that the daily average temperatures of the mini pond increased quickly to reach 54 degrees C in the lower convective zone after only 20 days. A 1 D numerical model to predict the temperature and the salinity in the mini pond was developed. The results obtained from the numerical calculation were compared with our experimental results and good agreement was found. Therefore a new method of heat extraction from the non convective zone was numerically investigated in order to enhance the mini pond performance. Using this new method of heat extraction, the numerical results showed that the mini pond efficiency could be considerably improved. However, the method was found to reduce the stability of the lower interface. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.