Solar water heaters in South Africa : limits and prospects

The objective of this study was to investigate the use of solar water healers (SWH) in South Africa, and identify policies and measures that would promote their use. It has been found that conditions are appropriate for the development and use of SWH in South Africa. but the current market for this technology still remains small. The findings of survey data collected in Lwandle shows that the interviewees appreciate the use of SWH technology provided by the local authorities. However, they complained of problems during winter, as there was no backup system for these units. This was considered as one of the limitations of the project. A comparative analysis between solar home systems (SHS) and solar water heaters in South Africa was made. The findings showed that SHS is well disseminated compared to SWH. The electrification programs in the country accelerated the dissemination of SHS. Government and Eskom are fully committed to the project with significant investments on the electrification in the remote areas. On the other hand, SWH were not financially or subsidised by the government. International donors and NGO's are still promoting the use of this technology. These two technologies are still expensive for many people in South Africa. Furthermore, SHS were subsidised while SWH were not and this has affected the dissemination of SWH in the country. This study gives some recommendations for policies and measures for the future wider dissemination of SWH in South Africa.

Grantor dc:publisher.institution

Energy Research Centre

Year dc:date.issued

2003

Author dc:creator

• Lukamba-Muhiya, Jean-Marc

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Davidson, Ogunlade R

Language dc:language.iso

eng

Handle dc:identifier.uri

http://hdl.handle.net/11427/6928

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:open.uct.ac.za:11427/6928