Solar-thermal
Sometimes called “photo-thermal”, this technology is usually applied to water-heating. About half of the electricity cost of most homes is keeping water hot in the electric “geysers”.
It takes one tonne of coal to keep one geyser hot for one year. Imagine the reduced carbon footprint of every house converted to solar.
C4L has already trained 350 youth as installers, since 2015.
Solar-voltaic
Also called “photo-voltaic”, these panels large and small can generate electricity from sunlight. Your hand-held calculator may be powered by solar energy? Or you may have panels on your roof, feeding through a controller into DC battery storage?
Then you hook up an inverter, and feed that electricity to charge your AC phones, laptops, computers, TVs, and other household devices.
Back-up for load-shedding
South Africa has a lot of power cuts. These are a bit unpredictable. So you can use solar panels to charge batteries, or you can use your automobile – fitted with the “electric hybrid” system.
Training installers
C4L has been training solar fitters for over ten years. Mostly for de-commissioning electric geysers and replacing them with solar water heaters.
In 2024, C4L has its first 50 learners in Electrical Engineering. During their practicums they will be introduced to houses that are powered by solar (completely off-grid) and also installing “electric hybrid” systems in automobiles. In that way, the auto’s 48-volt alternator keep the back-up battery charged up. Just plug into your mains and you auto serves as your generator and back-up electricity source.
