Solar Geysers And Alternative Energy Resources

The challenge of solar geysers and other types of alternative energy resources in households, continue being in news reports and the subject of conventions and other varieties of lobbying for environmentally friendly power. In a land like South Africa which enjoys an abundance of the sun's rays, solar powered energy seems sensible and Eskom even provide for a rebate on such systems to encourage individuals to put up solar geysers - www.solargeysers-jhb.co.za. But is the matter as easy as just putting in solar geysers and live happily ever after?

Let's look at Upington. The temperature in Upington is calculated at the airport, where in summer it may reach 40 degrees Celcius and higher. Around town with its tarred roads and tin rooftops, it is claimed by citizens to reach 50 degrees Celcius. It is a well known fact that a German vehicle company test all their SA destined models in Upington in summertime to see if the cars will endure extreme heat conditions. Now, if it gets that hot (and you can't control the heat of the sun by thermostat) what happens in a solar geyser product? Will it basically boil over or will it explode or can it be governed? Remember this assembly sits on your roof in Upington! Let's on the flip side consider Sutherland, it being the coolest part of the country in winter. How on earth are you to persuade your 10 year old boy that dislikes to bath at the best of times, to bath when the geyser sitting on the roof is frozen?

So it would seem that the issue of installing solar geysers is not so easy after all and that one needs to do your homework on these before you take up your spanners to set up one. There are 3 varieties of solar heating units, being: direct devices, indirect devices and evacuated tube systems. So, what type is okay for Upington and which is suitable for Sutherland? For starters let us understand what an evacuated tube is. Evacuated pipes absorb power from the sun and convert it into heat which then heats water. These are dual glass tubes made of quite strong glass. The outer tube is see-through and allows the sunshine to pass through while the inner tube is protected with a chemical that assimilates the sunlight very effectively. Through the manufacturing process air between the 2 hoses are pumped out leaving a vacuum and through a heat procedure the two tubes are fused together, leaving a vacuum - so it works like a vacuum flask keeping the water hot.

Direct systems consist of one or more solar panels or evacuated tubes. Water is pumped into the panels or tubes, gets warmed and held in the geyser. The problem is that in Sutherland water can freeze in winter leading to cold water and possible damage to the system. So a direct system won't work in Sutherland. Indirect systems also include things like solar panels or evacuated tubes, but instead of pumping water direct into the panels, anti freeze circulate the panels. When the liquid is hot it moves into the geyser, where after it flows into a sleeve on the geyser. The anti-freeze stops water from freezing and assists it to stay warm. Definitely the system for Sutherland!

Evacuated tubes warm the water too much for Upington, resulting in burst geysers, so the direct system with solar power panels will be better suited.