Renewable energy : benefits of converting urban households to solar water heating

Abstract

Modern man’s addiction to fossil fuels or non-renewable energy is the key reason behind the unprecedented economic growth experienced globally over the past 100 years. However, by definition these energy resources are not only finite, but their widespread use is causing massive environmental damage through air pollution and its associated impact on people’s health, as well as the emission of greenhouse gases which are attributed to the unprecedented rate of global warming - And it is for this reason that international initiatives such as the Kyoto Protocol, (which South Africa is a signatory of), aim to mitigate global warming by reducing member countries’ CO2 emissions.Simultaneously, South Africa (SA) is experiencing its own electricity supply problems due to under investment in the sector. While new power plants are being built, they utilize non-renewable energy sources and will take time to build (up to 5 years). It is also important to note that due to large coal reserves, South Africans enjoy amongst the lowest electricity tariffs in the world, but SA is amongst this planet’s biggest per capita polluters.The research thus aims to identify whether high income households are wasteful users of electricity - due to historic low prices, lack of knowledge regarding energy efficiency and the impact that electricity generation has on the environment - while at the same time determining the group's perception of domestic solar water heaters (DSWH), given our country’s favourable climaticconditions.