If we were to represent the time that our coal deposits have taken to form by a 24 hour clock then man will have been on earth for about six minutes; and will probably burn up all the fossil fuel in less than a second.
Humans need to focus on conservation, recycling, environmental restoration, and renewable energy sources. Sustainability is commonly associated with such a holistic approach to personal lifestyle. Not only are sustainable forms of energy renewable, but they also have the ability to keep the earth’s eco-system up and running, in perpetuity. Sustainable energy, such as solar, is non-polluting to the greatest extent possible. The basic notion behind sustainable energy sources is that by their use, society is not compromising future generations health and well being, nor their ability to use their own sustainable resources to any less capacity than we have.
Each day we are bombarded with information about global warming, pollution and wars over energy resources. Sadly, most people are doing very little about it.
Most South Africans don’t think about energy consumption, well not until just recently that is, we don’t think about the energy used to create our society or the energy required to produce the products we consume. Our electrical energy slips silently into our homes and it’s all very easy and painless. Sure, we think about our energy consumption when we see our monthly electricity account, or we think about it when we refuel our vehicles at the petrol station, but in most cases we just accept these costs as inevitable.
Lowering our energy consumption and using renewable energy would accomplish several things. Decreased use of fossil fuels and nuclear energy would have a positive impact on our environment by reducing carbon emissions that contribute to global climate change. It would also reduce the production of pollution that contributes to acid rain, nuclear waste, and other environmental contaminants. Heating water with the sun may seem like a simple solution, and it is.
Solar geysers heat water using the energy of the sun and comprise of a solar collector and a water storage tank.
Of all the renewable energy options, the technology of solar water heating is the most mature. It is an industry with proven technologies, established manufacturing facilities, and qualified and experienced technicians. These technologies and applications have been proven over many years and thousands of installations.
It’s not difficult to design, install, or use a solar water heater, while its simple, certain factors must be taken into account to ensure satisfactory reliability and performance. Some of these are hot water demand, aesthetics, specific location factors like trees, shading, mounting options, price and is the system SABS and Eskom approved.
The bottom line is that if you choose the right system and its installed correctly by an Eskom approved installer, using quality components, you will end up with a renewable energy system that will most likely last for the rest of your life. It will be one of the best investments you ever make.