Solar Science has merged with Yes Solar – we’re moving!

October 21st, 2010

We’ve merged with a very exciting nationwide solar company called Yes Solar! Check out the press release below, and then get on over to www.yessolar.co.za to check out our new home…

Yes Solar is proud to announce that it has merged with Solar Science, one of the Western Cape’s leading solar marketing and installation companies. Solar Science brings with it considerable skills in the marketing and installation of a number of carefully chosen Solar water systems and Heat Pumps. Yes Solar has an existing network of eleven franchisees, with a growing list of potential franchisees waiting in the wings . This merger increases our footprint, to meet our vision of becoming one of the top three solar brands by 2012.

Solar Science will be rebranded as Yes Solar and Richard Jamieson (B.Sc Eng) will take over as managing director of Yes Solar from Charles Bryant. Simon Lamond is a PIRB registered plumber and Eskom accredited solar installer. With 10 years of green plumbing experience, Simon takes up the position of technical director in Yes Solar.

Simon immediately brings with him the ability to handle all solar installations in the Western Cape for Yes Solar franchisees, and as a medium term strategy will look to recruit the highest quality installation capacity for Gauteng, the E.Cape and Mpumalanga.  Richard will focus on the support of Yes Solar franchisees in both marketing and product training and Charles will be responsible for growing the Yes Solar footprint with the highest quality dedicated ecopreneurs.

The vision of Yes Solar is to partner with the best solar geyser and heat pump suppliers in the country, in order to offer clients a range of solutions that cross over products, suppliers and technologies.

Ed: Don’t worry, we won’t be losing any of our independence, we’ve been working closely with the Yes Solar guys over the last few months to make sure this is a partnership that benefits our customers. Get over to www.yessolar.co.za to continue reading about developments in the solar and renewable energy fields.

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Eskom want to be solar giants, or do they?

October 16th, 2010

giant-photovoltaic-array-solar-panelsEskom released a press statement on Monday (see news story here) saying that they want to be solar giants. Among other things, they talk about a 100MW wind plant to be completed by 2012 and a 100MW solar thermal facility to be completed by 2015. However, beyond that they are looking at having 2000MW of solar thermal power online by 2030.

These developments will run in parallel with plans by government (DoE) to also build a 5000MW solar park by 2012. From what I heard on a radio interview, though, government is only building the park which will include infrastructure into which private companies can more easily establish privately funded solar generation facilities.

All of this is great and sounds very good, especially since we are currently reliant on coal for 90% of our electricity generation, and in their last financial year Eskom emitted 225 million tonnes of carbon dioxide.

However, look back at my earlier post here, where acting chief officer of Eskom’s generation business, Dan Marokane talks about how Eskom is and will be reliant on coal for a long time to come. As he says in his article, a solar park of 100MW pales in comparison to the generation capacity of a coal plant like Kusile (4800MW).

The more recent announcement comes from Steve Lennon, managing director for corporate services at Eskom, and 2000MW of solar thermal capacity certainly does start to look like a more serious move by Eskom to commit to renewables. Let’s hope that things are moving in the right direction at the parastatal.

Ed.

Solar Science is a supplier and installer of solar water heating systems to the greater Cape Town area. Get in touch if you’re interested in a free quote.

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Obama to put solar panels on the White House

October 6th, 2010

Jimmy Carter put them on in the late 1970′s, but someone later took them off again. Now, under pressure from the environmental lobby groups in his country, Barack Obama is having solar panels installed on the roof of the white house.

The most famous residence in America, which has already boosted its green credentials by planting a garden, plans to install solar panels atop the White House’s living quarters. The solar panels are to be installed by spring 2011, and will heat water for the first family and supply some electricity.

Energy Secretary Steven Chu announced the plans Tuesday in Washington at a conference of local, state, academic and nonprofit leaders aimed at identifying how the federal government can improve its environmental performance.

Former Presidents Jimmy Carter and George W. Bush both tapped the sun during their days in the White House. Carter in the late 1970s spent $30,000 on a solar water-heating system for West Wing offices. Bush’s solar systems powered a maintenance building and some of the mansion, and heated water for the pool.Obama, who has championed renewable energy, has been under increasing pressure by the solar industry and environmental activists to lead by example by installing solar at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, something White House officials said has been under consideration since he first took office.

Last month, global warming activists with 350.org carried one of Carter’s solar panels – which were removed in 1986 – from Unity College in Maine to Washington to urge Obama to put solar panels on his roof. It was part of a global campaign to persuade world leaders to install solar on their homes. After a meeting with White House officials, they left Washington without a commitment.

Bill McKibben, the founder of the 350.org group, said Tuesday the administration did the right thing.

“If it has anything like the effect of the White House garden, it could be a trigger for a wave of solar installations across the country and around the world,” McKibben said in a statement.

What was unclear Tuesday was how much the White House solar project will cost, and how much fossil fuel-based electricity it would displace, since the system is not yet designed and the White House will not disclose how much energy is needed to keep the president’s lights turned on.

Based on available roof space, administration officials expect the photovoltaic system will include between 25 to 75 panels and will convert sunlight into 19,700 kilowatt hours of electricity a year.

But the White House is far from a typical house, noted Danny Kennedy, the founder of California-based solar energy provider Sungevity, which offered to put solar panels on the White House for free earlier this year as part of a campaign called SolarontheWhiteHouse.

Kennedy estimates that outfitting Obama’s pad with solar would cost about $100,000 if paid out of pocket. But the money would be earned back with savings on the electric bill in the first five years, he said in an interview from the Maldives, where he is installing 48 solar panels on President Mohammed Nasheed’s private residence.

Kennedy said his calculations were based on a 5,000 square-foot California home, which uses 60,000 kilowatt hours of electricity annually.

“They use a lot more electricity than that,” Kennedy said. “We had to make a few assumptions about what electricity cost was in the White House.”

Solar Science have sent over a quote, hold thumbs for us – Ed.

Solar Science is a supplier and installer of solar water heating systems to the greater Cape Town area. Get in touch if you’re interested in a free quote.

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What to look out for when installing Solar Water Heating

October 2nd, 2010

I’ve put together a list of things to look out for when purchasing a solar water heating system. Here they are:

Certification – what kind of certification does the system have? First prize is SABS Mark Approval. This is a higher form of certification than just an SABS Test Report. Mark Approval means that the entire supply chain of the product has been inspected and that SABS are confident that the product will consistently meet their standards.

Also look out for Solar Keymark certification (EU), and the German TUV standard.

Direct versus Indirect systems – basically, if you live near the coast you can install a direct system (no intermediate heat transfer fluid), but if you live somewhere that is prone to frost (i.e. temperatures drop below 4 deg), then you have to go for an indirect system. Where possible, go for a direct system, the heat loss between panel and geyser is lower.

Evacuated Tube versus Flat Plate collector – the respective suppliers / manufacturers of these systems place too much emphasis on this question. Rather look at the build quality, efficiency and durability of the collector, regardless of the type of technology it employs. Pay special attention to corrosion resistance – low quality stainless steel and shoddily galvanized metals will start to rust after a couple of years.

A quick way to measure efficiency is to look at the rebate a system enjoys. The rebate is simply a multiple of the Q factor of the system (which is a measure of its efficiency). But be careful to compare systems of the same size, e.g. a 200 litre system with a 200 litre system.

Thermosiphon versus Pumped – I won’t install an evacuated tube system in a thermosiphon configuration (this is where the geyser is higher than the panel and the water circulates by convection) because evacuated tubes can produce extremely high temperatures, and a pump/controller configuration is better able to regulate these high temperatures.

A flat plate in a thermosiphon configuration has the advantage of simplicity, but is only possible if you put the geyser on the outside of your roof, or if you have a very steeply pitched roof and mount your geyser in the apex of that roof (higher than the top of the panel outside).

Bigger is better with solar – choose a geyser size that’s bigger than your current geyser. Your savings will be maximised if you have a big tank which can store your solar heated water through periods of no or low sunshine. A 300 litre tank may sound excessive, but for four or more people in a house it’s recommended.

Geyser quality is important – in a solar configuration your geyser needs to be able to withstand high temperatures and it needs to be well insulated to retain that heat. There are a number of cheap geysers (hot water cylinders/storage tanks) on the market, made of materials such as fibreglass. Be wary of companies that do not have a long track record of making geysers that last. Look for at least a 10 year warranty on your geyser.

Eskom accreditation – check that the system, the supplier of the system and the installer of the system are all accredited by Eskom, or you won’t be able to claim your rebate. You can click here to check suppliers and their systems, and here to check who the accredited installers are.

Backup and support - check the details on the warranty – not just how long it is, but under what conditions it is effective. Are there any exclusions? Also consider how long the supplier has been around, and ask them for customer references so that you can find out what their level of backup service is like.

The manufacturing location of the product could be a factor for you, but bear in mind that the entire world buys their evacuated tubes from China (bar a few manufacturers in Southern Europe), so don’t expect to get a South African made evacuated tube system. That being said, there are some good flat plate manufacturers in SA, and buying from them has the additional benefit of being transport emissions free.

Ed.

Solar Science is a supplier and installer of solar water heating systems to the greater Cape Town area. Get in touch if you’re interested in a free quote.

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