Solar Water heaters use the solar energy from the sun to generate heat (not electricity) which can then be used to heat water for hot water needs. A solar water heater is one of the most effective ways of cutting a household’s carbon footprint by reducing reliance on dirty fossil fuel usage. By offsetting the use of electricity, gas or heating oil, using solar water heaters can also provide financial savings by reducing energy costs.
Illumina Africa offers two types of Solar Collector technology;
- Flat Plate – a cuboidal collector where the heating liquid flows through the plate and is heated directly by the sun
- Vacuum Tube (Evacuated Tube) – combines the high efficiency performance of evacuated tube with heat transfer capacity of heat pipes. The copper heat pipes heat up due to the sun and they transfer that to the fluid.
Illumina Africa also offers (Air Source) Heat Pump Water Heaters; a HPWH uses electrical energy to pull (or ‘pump’) heat from the air surroundings and ‘dump’ it into the water (similar to a reverse refrigerator). HPWH are >3 times more efficient at converting electrical energy into heat than traditional electric water heating elements.
Illumina Africa is only interested in solar water heating projects with a minimum order of 16 units.
Please find Illumina Africa’s Solar Water Heating Literature to understand and learn more about different solar water heating technologies and our designing and installation process , Please Download .
Solar water heating saves you money! It will reduce your water heating bill by 90%, and your home electricity bill by close to 50% in some cases. The systems should payback in 2-3 years
Solar water heating is a law in Kenya. Those who do not install the solar water heating systems face a fine of 1 million shillings! The Energy (Solar Water Heating) regulations 2012 legal notice No.43, 25th May 2012, states that all premises (old & new) with hot water requirements exceeding 100 Litres per day shall install and use solar water heating systems. The compliance deadline for this regulation is 25th May 2017.
FAQ’S
What if there is no sun?
Illumina Africa installs an automatic device which makes sure the water is heated with KPLC if it is not hot enough. The device has a sensor which checks the temperature of the water at pre set times such as 5am and 5pm. If the water is not at a set degree at this time, then the device allows KPLC to heat the water directly upto a chosen temperature. This ensures you never worry about having hot water.
How does the water stay hot till morning?
The solar water heating tanks are very well insulated, meaning the temperature drop at night is only around 3 degrees.
How many years do the systems last?
Flat Plate solar water heaters will last upwards of 15 years, they are very durable and do not lose their heating capability. Vacuum Tube systems are known to last less than 10 years.
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Solar Facts
Kenya, as per our conservative calculations would need just 120 square kilometers of solar panels and 0.53 square kilometers of energy storage, in order to full power the country (as per current generation and demand requirements). This is equivalent to less than 0.2% of the area of Turkana which is 68,680 square kilometers.
The sunlight we receive for just an hour is enough to generate energy for one year for the whole world.
When there’s a huge solar energy spill, it’s just called a ‘nice day‘
Unlike other energy sources, such as coal and oil whose reserves will diminish, the sun is here to stay and so is the energy we can gain from it.
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