Renewable energy options for hot water systems in remote areas

Providing hot water for remote indigenous communities in Australia has become a priority as part of the effort to improve indigenous health. Earlier work by Healthabitat, among others, has identified washing people to be important in overall health outcomes. In the remote central and northern regions of Australia, the solar regime is very good and the potential for the use of solar hot water systems has been thought to be among the best in the world. Reports from communities in these areas, however, have been pointing to severe problems with the operation of solar hot water systems. The present paper gives the results of a trial of 29 hot water systems in remote locations with the view to identifying the best systems. Of the 29 systems, 14 were solar systems, six were heat exchange systems and the remainder gas and electric. In addition, four biomass heaters (CAT chip heaters) were trialed alongside solar systems. The hot water systems were located at Napranum (northern Queensland), Kintore (NT), Kalka (SA), Wataru (SA) and Alice Springs (NT). The trial started in June 1997 and finished in October 1998. Data loggers were placed on the systems to monitor water temperature, electricity consumption and water flow. Solar radiation and ambient temperature were also monitored at each site. The project was funded by the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission (ATSIC).