Solar Geysers And Renewable energy Resources

The issue of solar geysers and other types of alternative energy sources in homes, continue to be in news reports and the topic of conventions and other kinds of lobbying for environmentally friendly power. In a country like South Africa which enjoys plenty of sunlight, solar energy makes sense and Eskom even provide for a rebate on such systems to encourage people to install solar geysers - about us. But is the issue as basic as just putting in solar geysers and live contentedly ever after?

Let's consider Upington. The heat in Upington is calculated at the airport, where in summer it may reach 40 degrees Celcius and higher. Around town with its tarred roadways and tin rooftops, it is claimed by citizens to reach 50 degrees Celcius. It is a well known fact that a German vehicle maker test all of their SA destined models in Upington in summertime to ascertain if the motor vehicles will put up with extreme heat situations. Now, if it gets that scorching (and you are unable to control the heat of the sun by thermostat) what goes on in a solar geyser system? Will it merely boil over or will it blow up or can it be regulated? Remember this set up sits on your roof in Upington! Let's alternatively consider Sutherland, it being the coldest part of the country in winter. How on earth are you to persuade your ten year old son that hates to bath at the best of times, to bath when the geyser sitting on the rooftop is frozen?

So it would appear that the issue of putting in solar geysers is not so basic after all and that one needs to perform some research on these before you take up your spanners to install one. There are 3 kinds of solar heaters, being: direct devices, indirect devices and evacuated tube devices. So, which one is fine for Upington and which is OK for Sutherland? To begin with let's understand what an evacuated tube is. Evacuated tubes absorb solar energy and convert it into temperature which then heats the water. These are twin glass tubes made of quite strong glass. The outer tube is see-through and allows the the sun's rays to pass through while the inner tube is protected with a chemical that absorbs the sunlight very effectively. Throughout the manufacturing process the air between the two pipes are pumped out leaving a vacuum and through a heat course of action the two tubes are merged together, leaving a vacuum - so it works like a vacuum flask keeping water hot.

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

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