South Africa Solar Energy
With an average of more than 2,500 hours of sunshine every year, South Africa has the perfect climate for solar panels. South Africa's solar radiation output is over twice that of Europe - making it one of the highest in the world - and is the most readily accessible resource available. This immense energy resource lends itself to a number of potential uses and the country's solar-equipment industry is growing with a number of companies in South Africa selling solar panels and other related solar energy products. Existing Problems For many years, South Africa has suffered from poor energy efficient housing. Low-cost housing is particularly poor for saving energy, resulting in high levels of wasted energy especially in winter. The result is harmful levels of air pollution in townships, due mainly to coal burning. But not all is lost....Research has shown that if low-cost housing can be fitted with solar panels then fuel savings of as much as 65% could be made. This makes solar energy for homes an environmental and money-saving success. And energy saving homes can be built at the same cost as energy-wasteful houses. South African Solar Water Heating Programme Solar water heaters are on the up in South Africa. The Western Cape government aims to install 1,000 solar geysers in order to help save 500MW per day. It was not only a response to the current energy crisis with its rising fuel prices, but also a sustainable long term investment for South Africa which will tackle climate change, energy saving and poverty. A spokesman said, "The launch of this solar water geyser legacy project is an attempt by the Provincial Government of the Western Cape to bring renewable energy into our poorer areas," she told Engineering News. "We have conducted research on climate change and we know that the parts of our community that will be hardest hit by climate change are the poor." Eskom has compiled a list of solar water heater suppliers. The accredited suppliers offer solar water heating solutions at discount prices. Water heating accounts for a third to half of the energy use in the average South African household. This comes mainly from electricity. If solar energy replaced electricity for this then it would save the lower income households significant money, whilst saving energy, which will in turn improve the environment in which they live. A roll-out programme of solar water heaters has started, with the focus on higher income households in Gauteng, the Western Cape and KwaZulu-Natal. This program is led by the Central Energy Fund (CEF). Conclusion Solar water heaters have many benefits both for the customer and for South Africa. The customer benefits by having a reduced electricity bill and the country benefits because less power has to be generated and so less pollution is generated. And as solar water heaters and photovoltaic solar panels can be used both at residential and commercial buildings, with the amount of sunshine South Africa basks in, there really is no excuse for the government not pushing solar panels more aggressively. Other solar options A great way of benefitting from solar energy but not spending a fortune would be to install solar powered outdoor lighting for your back yard or garden. Or maybe you are good with your hands and wouldn't mind building your own DIY solar panels. Green Electricity By choosing to buy your energy from green electricity suppliers, customers provide social, environmental and economic benefits to South Africa. In many cases, the immediate benefit is the effective reduction in the carbon footprint of a business or household as a consequence of using cleaner energy. AGAMA Energy Group - provides green electricity services and solutions. They design and build a range of Biogas applications through their Integrated Biogas Solutions division, while green power is traded through our subsidiary GreenX Energy. Amatola Green Power - they buy electricity from power stations that utilize biomass, waste, hydro, wind and solar energy.
South Africans to cut down on electricity usage. South Africa looks to muscle in on the solar energy market. SELF help to power remote South African schools.
For more information go to the
south africa solar energy association
or for more information on all aspects of alternative energy go to
South African Alternative Energy Association.
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