Experts opine that the usage of solar thermal energy, for hot water preparations, will eventually emerge as the most conventional option to mitigating climate change. “The need to promote alternative energy sources and adoption of energy efficient technologies plays a critical role in residential buildings, hotels and lodges. It leads to the reduction of electricity bills, reduced air pollution, lower greenhouse gas emissions, and enables greater electrical grid stability,” explained Fenni Shidhika, a researcher at NEI.
Solar thermal energy harnesses sunlight to generate thermal energy, which produces heat instead of electricity.
This is then transferred into your home or business heating 
system to produce hot water. “NUST is looking into embrace solar
energy research and innovation as a niche area for addressing issues of energy access, energy inadequacy and the environmental concerns,” Helvi Ileka, Acting Director of NEI, said.
The two workshops concluded that the increased use of solar thermal energy reduces the dependency on imported electricity, reduction of CO2 emissions, increases the security of local energy supplies and creates savings for end-users.
The SOLTRAIN project has sufficient funds available to support more installations for the demonstration systems in Namibia, deadline for applications: 31 July 2022.
For more information, contact Ms Fenni Shidhika at fshidhika@nust.na or Ms Helvi Ileka @ hileka@nust.na.