In a research station, the manufacturer my-PV has implemented the first hot water generation system in Namibia that is completely based on solar power. Calpak Solar Energy combined the ELWA water heater with a 1.6-kilowatt peak solar system and installed the device in a 200-litre electric boiler. The researchers in the remote Desert Lion Conservation Research Centre on the Namibian Skeleton Coast can now self-sufficiently supply themselves with hot water at this inhospitable location. Supplying them with fossil fuels or wood would have been much more expensive than generating energy with solar power.
Namibian researchers opt for hot water from PV electricity
"The project is now also opening up the field of combined heat and power generation from photovoltaics in Africa," Gerhard Rimpler, Managing Director of my-PV, reports. Falling module prices would make such projects more and more economical. The Namibian researchers opted for my-PV’s ELWA solution because it was not possible to use solar thermal products with exposed water reservoirs due to the prevailing cold Atlantic winds. In addition, the salty and sandy air would have strongly added to the materials used. "The hot water tank and the ELWA electronics are located in a container next to the research station, which protects them from all environmental influences," explains Rimpler.
my-PV presents further international projects at Intersolar Europe
The Austrian company plans to implement other international projects this year. "Particularly in research stations, deserts and emerging markets, we see many opportunities to implement sustainable heat generation with our 'cable instead of pipe' technology - independent of weather conditions," says Rimpler. From 15th to 17th May my-PV will be presenting the current status of its projects implemented worldwide at Intersolar Europe at Stand C4.110. (mfo)
You can now sign up for our upcoming pv Guided Tours at The smarter E Europe (Intersolar Europe, ees Europe, Power2Drive, EM-Power) in Munich in May 2019.
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