Solar-powered appliances

A correctly designed and installed solar system for both power and water heating will provide many years of green, safe and reliable service and can be applied to any electrical or hot water use. Solar power can be used for off-grid, as back-up for load shedding and power cuts and hybrid, where solar and grid electricity can be used together.

When excess solar power is produced it feeds into the grid and customer receives credit and when solar power is short the system runs from grid electricity and the customer is charged.

Solar systems are a viable and economical solution to most electrical and hot water requirements if managed correctly.

Solar systems have a wide range of applications from domestic, industrial and social. They can be used to power schools, clinics and hospitals, irrigation equipment, hotels and restaurants, street and traffic lights.

Solar power can also be used in refrigeration and cooling, off-grid and on-grid. Solar power systems are flexible as they can be highly portable, fixed, added to and grow with your needs and pocket.

Some of the solar appliances available for different uses are as follows:

Hot water heating — There are vacuum tube solar geysers that are now very efficient and use the sun’s thermal power directly to heat water and thus reduce the use of electricity by up to 30 percent.

The savings made with the installation of a solar geyser, will pay for the capital cost within a very short period of time and will ensure a good supply of hot water.

Lighting — There are solar panels that work with lights and tubes that use the latest technology LED (low emission diodes) that are replacing the older and inefficient incandescent, fluorescent and energy saver lights.

The reduce power usage and have an extended life span (+/-10 000 hours). They do not contain mercury and they come in various designs and shapes.

There are now televisions, decoders and entertainment systems with new generation LED type TVs and music systems, that are ideally suited to solar power systems.

Refrigeration — There are now refrigerators with DC compressors with lower power use that are ideal in remote and off-grid situations for clinics and health centres.

Costs of these units are rather high due to excessive duties (65 percent) + surtax (25 percent) + VAT (15 percent) on imports. Without these excess costs, solar refrigeration will be a very viable option.

Boreholes — In areas without electricity solar systems can now be used for pumping water for household use and for irrigation.

The solar option can replace manual treadle and bush pumps, which releases family members to engage in other chores.

Solar systems can now also be used to pump and store water for drip irrigation and to drive low power and high volume fans for tobacco curing.

Air-coolers — Solar systems can also be used to power very effective cooling equipment that can reduce temperatures in rooms, containers, buildings and, etc, by 10-15 degrees and more.

These are ideally suited to Zimbabwean conditions of a very hot and dry climate, great for your health and well-being.