Solar water heater as a green solution punted

With 93.8% of the South African energy from coal power plants, the land among the six largest producers of carbon dioxide per capita produced worldwide, solar thermal says Executive Member Dylan Tudor Jones.

In his speech at the launch of the company solar heat and energy training centre, says Tudor Jones a possible 20% reduction of greenhouse gas emissions would result if all electric geysers to solar water heaters have been converted.

He explains that each solar system to prevent up to 4.5 tonnes of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere each year.

The solar water heaters, which locally mounted with a few imported components, have no moving parts and work according to the principle of the natural Thermosiphon - hot fluids rise and cool liquid fall.

One special liquid inside the collectors is heated by the Sun, and in turn flows after top coat storage cylinder surrounding the heat exchange and its heat to the water on the inside of the cylinder.

The radiator flows then at the bottom of the collector, ready, to start the cycle again. According to Tudor Jones, conventional geysers are the largest contributor to the household electricity consumption a third of the entire domestic South Africa is power. Heating up a 200 l geyser once is equivalent to burn ten 40-W lamps all day long.

Emphasis on their benefits, he explains that solar water heaters save up to 85% of energy needs, according to geographical location, life style and the type of heating.

The investment in a solar system allows people to avoid ever-increasing energy costs, he said.

South Africa, coal resources of sub-Sahara total energy consumption, which consumed half of electricity in Africa produces three quarters of the energy supply of the country, with Eskom 85%.

It is believed that the production of one kilowatt electricity almost one kilogram of carbon dioxide emitted.

However, the use of solar power would the reliance on fossil fuels and the reduction of pollution in the environment, such as solar power is clean and inexhaustible.

Solar water heaters could be 2 000 MW save the land, which corresponds to a power station.

Enjoy some of the best sunshine in the world with South Africa, ponders Tudor Jones, why it is not invested in solar water heaters.

He notes that South Africa receives radi-ation in the world one of the highest levels of the solar system, varying from 4.5 kWh/m2 up to 6.5 kWh/m2, 5 kWh/m2 compared with some parts of Europe with radi-ation of about 2.

Every day, more solar energy reaches the earth than the total amount of energy the planet’s six-billion inhabitants can consume in 25 years, but the world is reluctant to tap into this free energy, charges Tudor Jones.

Explain some of the key challenges for the solar energy, he notes that long capital payback time of solar systems, especially in relation to the relatively cheap energy in South Africa, is one of the most important obstacles.

Additional impediments are negative public perception of solar water heaters, which have gained a bad reputation due to incorrect product installations and lack of enforcement of quality standards.

However, Tudor Jones is optimistic about the future of the solar industry, which says that, how environmental legislation is strict, to switch the country on renewable sources of energy.

South Africa already Framework Convention of the United Nations on climate change (1997) and the Kyoto Protocol (2002), which provides the framework, ratified to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

A draft White Paper on the promotion of renewable energies and clean energy development has been by the South African Department of minerals and energy have been published.

In addition, the Government is long-term objective the creation of a renewable energy economy, and GWh targets the share of renewable energy sources in final energy consumption by 2012, an additional 10 000 sources are produced from biomass, wind, solar and small hydro power, he adds.   Tudor Jones hopes the solar industry to capture at least 5% of the global energy market as a whole over the next decade.