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dam-l Namibian solar potential
>From The Namibian,
August 20, 1998
Green Beat Namibia and the Environment
Look to the sun
ZOE TITUS
NAMIBIA could save thousands of dollars if it could
generate electricity by means of solar energy.
This was demonstrated by the Windhoek Vocational
Training Centre (WVTC) when it installed 20 solar
heaters at its hostels in June 1996. Savings on
electricity means that the WVTC's initial investment of
N$320 000 is expected to be paid off in less then 3
years.
Now, Terrasol Namibia, have taken things a step
further: What do we lack in Namibia? - water, of
course. What do we have in abundance? - nearly 365
days a year of sunshine.
With this in mind, Terrasol Namibia, designed the first
completely Namibian solar borehole pump, the Ju-wa,
particularly suited for the African environment.
The company's managing director, Werner Schultz, a
qualified service engineer designed the Ju-wa pump in
1991 after which it was installed at a commercial farm
40 kilometres west of Windhoek. Terrasol Namibia is
presently the largest supplier of solar borehole pumps
to Namibia's private sector.
The Ju-wa is a positive displacement pump that uses
conventional borehole pipes and rods. These were
recently replaced with plastic pipes and steel cable,
further cutting down on maintenance and improving
overall efficiency. It derives its energy from the sun,
through a series of well-positioned solar panels, but
can also be operated with a 4HP petrol engine or by
hand and, when reaching its target depth of 200
metres, can deliver a maximum of 25 000 litres of
water per day.
The only electrical components are a DC/DC
Controller and a 0,3 kW or 0,75 kW DC electric
motor.
According to Robert Schultz who runs the company's
Research Division, the pump's strength lies in its
simplicity.
"It is very use friendly", he says, adding that the initial
energy required for operation is roughly equal to that
used by a hairdryer, energy which its obtains from the
sun.
In a bid to make this more attractive to rural farmers,
Terrasol is currently negotiating a loan scheme
through which farmers can acquire the pump, use it to
generate an income, while paying a relatively small
monthly instalment.
Schultz admits that the use of solar energy is a
relatively new concept, one that Namibians need to
explore, as this was a low cost resource that we have in
abundance.
"Some farmers, when hearing that the sun provides the
energy, point to the fact that they need to pump water
on days where there is extensive cloud cover", he says.
For this reason, Schultz has provided for an alternative
power source - the pump may be used with a diesel or
petrol engine although it was ideally designed to make
use of solar energy for its positive environmental
impact.
Schultz is adamant that the Ju-wa is no experiment.
"No noise, no smoke, no oil, no mess, no costly
overhauls, no sensitive electronic circuitry. What more
do you want?" he concludes.
Terrasol Namibia is situated at 9 Noble Street in the
southern industrial area and may be contacted at tel/fax
061-239454.
-end-
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Lori Pottinger, Director, Southern Africa Program,
and Editor, World Rivers Review
International Rivers Network
1847 Berkeley Way, Berkeley, California 94703, USA
Tel. (510) 848 1155 Fax (510) 848 1008
http://www.irn.org
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