South Africa is well known for its copious amounts of sunny weather throughout the year – ideal conditions for using solar power. Solar power technology is a rapidly developing technology that is becoming ever more popular with both South Africans and in fact, homeowners the world over. It gained a lot of momentum during our precarious past with regards to the power crisis, and has since been growing ever popular since.The main attraction for most homeowners is, of course, not the fact that it is environmentally friendly, but largely due to the vast quantities of money that you can save on your bottom line every month. Nearly 50% of each home's energy consumption can be attributed to its geyser. Solar geysers are a great way of reducing this cost – if installed by a professional; they are virtually maintenance free and will supply your home and even swimming pool with hot water all year round for a fraction of what it would cost you using a standard geyser.
Although the initial purchase and installation cost is relatively high when compared to standard geysers – usually three to four times more expensive – the running costs should make up for the deficit between eight to 12 years depending on how much it is used. On average, residential solar geysers cost up to R25 000, which is an enormous investment. However, to ease this high cost, Eskom is set to announce is solar water heating subsidy scheme this year. This will mean that if you opt to change over to a solar water heating system, and have it installed by an Eskom-approved installer, you will receive a subsidy of between R2 000 and R5 000 depending on the size of the system.
As their name implies, solar water heating systems harness the power of the sun to preheat water for residential or commercial use. They use roof-mounted, heat absorbing plates to do this, and then the heated water is fed into a well insulated geyser, where the heated water is stored. If need be, the geyser uses a little bit of electricity to further heat the water to the desired temperature. The system will use electricity to heat the water if there isn't sufficient sun on certain days to heat the water.
In South Africa, there are two types of solar water heaters available – namely flat plate collectors and evacuated tubes. Flat plate collectors are made up of a thin black metal sheet, covered by clear glass or plastic to improve heat retention, absorb and transfer the suns energy to the water. Evacuated tubes comprise a set of heat-absorbing glass tubes, which have a vacuum inside which helps reduce heat loss. Evacuated tubes are now more popular around the world than the flat plate collectors, as they are somewhat more efficient. The downside of this system is that in very hot areas, they may overheat the water, which can often activate the geysers pressure release valve, causing excess wear and tear. The glass tubes are also fragile and can be smashed in areas where hail occurs. However, it is a modular system and if a tube gets broken, it can be removed and replaced.
When installing your solar power water heating system, it is recommended that the geyser is located on top of the panels; otherwise a circulation pump will need to be installed to circulate the water, which will use up additional electricity. A 200-litre geyser with a 3m² to 4m² panel is recommended for a typical three- to four-bedroom residential home. Also, remember to hose down your panels every now and again, in order to remove any dust that accumulates on the panels. – Antonella DésiPictures
Images courtesy of NuPower
For more information click here to visit the NuPower website.
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