World's largest solar installation by Solahart

Solahart Australia recently installed the world's largest solar water heating solution in Abu Dhabi. 3 500 solar panels and 84 water storage tanks with a storage capacity of 7 000 litres each will provide millions of litres of hot water to construction workers daily.

According to Solahart Industries international manager Mark Perger the installation will save more than 12 500 tonnes in carbon emissions. That is the equivalent of taking 400 cars off the road.

Selected Energy, the local distributor of Solahart products, added similar commercial water heating solutions to their product range late last year. These solutions are ideally suited to institutions that require a large amount of hot water, such as mines and factories.

Said Selected Energy managing director, Jim Hickey, "The commercial product range is the first of its kind in South Africa. We believe electricity price hikes, combined with international pressure to reduce carbon emissions on a commercial scale will necessitate investment in alternative energy solutions for larger institutions."

Two major South African mines have already taken steps towards sustainability by investing in commercial solutions supplied by Selected Energy. These systems heat up to 8 000 litres of water every eight hours.

The commercial systems can be customised to meet the needs of diverse institutions, and include an ambient heat exchanger option.

"With major electricity rate hikes expected over the next three years, local commercial organisations need to look towards more cost effective energy sources. We are happy to be a market leader in this offering," concluded Hickey.