Membrane distillation (MD) is a promising desalination technology offering advantages of robustness, scalability, and improved environmental performance as compared to established methods. The aim of this research is to explore the potential of a small scale or stand-alone MD desalination system. The system under consideration consists of an air-gap membrane distillation (AGMD) unit integrated with non-concentrating solar thermal collectors. Scale-up of the MD unit was accomplished via experimental data obtained from an AGMD test facility, and trials were conducted with various feedstock TDS levels, temperatures, and flow rates. Laboratory data obtained from these and other studies demonstrate that MD unit performance is relatively insensitive to variations in feedstock qualities (e.g. pH, TDS levels). Solar data gathered from a case study (Gaza, Palestine) was employed in system simulations. The analysis shows that the system is capable of producing up to 8.5m³/hr of high quality water (< 10 ppm TDS). The power consumption was 150 kWh/m³ (with primary heat recovery), pointing to the need for further studies in ways to utilize low-grade waste heat.