Solar collectors
For water heating, people, especially in rural areas, mostly use fossil fuels or biomass (dried dung, shrubs, firewood, but also all kinds of waste) indoor air pollution is a big problem, leading to respiratory illnesses, especially for women and children who are likely to spend more time indoors.
Picture 1: solar collectors made from copper sheets (left) and plastic tubes
(right) at RCDA demonstration center, Misaktsieli, Georgia
Insufficient availability of warm water for hygienic purposes likewise adversely affects human health. Quality fuel is expensive and difficult to obtain.
Solar collectors are a simple and effective way to substitute expensive and polluting fuels for water heating. In most of the EECCA region winters are cold, in some regions even very cold, but sun radiation is high and often there is a lot of sun also in winter time, that could be used by solar collectors. Solar collector self-made models that are in use in the regions are usually very simple models which work well in summer period but do not work in winter time due to little effectiveness and lack of protection against freezing. WECF and its partners have developed an advanced solar collector model which also works in winter and is affordable and easy to build using locally available materials.
Picture 2: solar collectors on the roof of a toilet with shower, RCDA demonstration center, Misaktsieli, Georgia
Picture 3: simple solar collectors made from old radiators, UGAM
