Unlocking the Potential of Solar Heating and Cooling in Kenya

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The potential of solar heating is vastly untapped in Africa, despite its abundant solar resource. This is chiefly because current solar thermal solutions, where sunlight is converted into heat, have been primarily developed for the needs of industrialised economies (e.g. Europe). In this project SolarisKit (UK) will partner with Solflare (Kenya) to develop a new low-cost solar thermal solution with several unique differences when compared with incumbent solutions, including:* A new, prismastic shaped solar thermal collector that is manufactured flat-packed reducing both manufacturing and shipping related costs* A solar pump controller which operates off 12VDC which can provide both solar heating and cooling* A complete solar thermal solution which can be installed safely and reliably with lower cost plastic pipingThe unique flat-packed, self-assembled solar thermal collector has been developed, tested, patented and now manufactured by SolarisKit (UK). It has the potential to disrupt the African solar thermal market. In this project, the Kenyan market is focused upon due to the significant growth forecast in solar hot water systems for both residential and commercial applications. In addition to the technical challenges which has limited the penetration of solar heating systems in Kenya, this project will also implement a strategically designed and targeted marketing and awareness campaign to educate key channel partners on the unique benefits of solar heating and the solution developed in this project. Our aim to penetrate the Kenyan solar thermal market with British solar innovation which reduces cost and simplifies installation while also support education and awareness activities. Outcomes will include:1. Development of a new 12VDC solar controller with heating and cooling, suitable for both ON and OFF grid applications2. Installation of pilot systems in Kenya for data gathering and marketing3. Supply of hardware with Kenyan partner to penetrate market4. Completion of a 6-month (minimum) marketing and awareness campaign with targeted channel partners to raise awareness of solar heating and the unique solution developed in this project.