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ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY
Why aren't we
warming to solar?
Low pressure systems are a social rather than an energy efficiency project.
By Eamonn Ryan
Is installing a solar geyser still a financial decision or has it
become an ethical decision?
Solar water heaters offer individuals an
opportunity to choose to make a difference
through their own personal choices and actions.
Solar geysers save on electricity and cold
showers during load shedding – but due to their
high upfront costs haven't always made financial
sense unless one is consciously making a moral
choice. In contrast, selling someone a household
solar PV system by convincing them they’ll
recoup the cost of their investment within an
unrealistic timeframe is morally debatable.
With electricity prices already high, and more big power
price increases on the way, that is changing – but not
quite as rapidly as one might think, if one is factoring in
some degree of moral consciousness.
All stick and no carrot
Barry Bredenkamp, general manager for Energy
Efficiency at The South African National Energy
Development Institute (SANEDI), points to the two types
of solar water heating systems currently available:
“The low-pressure system which is typically installed
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in low-cost/RDP housing free of charge by government
does not have a financial benefit because it is solely a
social programme that goes to people who would not
otherwise be using energy to heat water. This may even
be increasing energy consumption if it comes with a
back-up energy unit. Pay-back periods don’t come into
the equation. This has been quite clearly categorised as
a social development rather than an energy efficiency
programme.
“The high-pressure system is what is generally used
by middle- to high-income families, and this is where
people have to make a financial decision as to whether
they are going to convert to solar heating or not. Most
people will do an upgrade but keep an electrical back-
up system.”
He points to the need for this: at the time of the
interview, Johannesburg was in the midst of a week-
long drought-breaking tropical rain-fest in which the sun
hadn’t once appeared through the overcast conditions.
“Anyone without an electrical back-up would have had
nothing but cold water. That’s the downside of converting
to solar heated water. Because it is a substantial
investment (of between R12 000 and R20 000), most
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February 2020 Volume 25 I Number 12