The aim of the project was to use solar energy for the preparation of hot water for the student house in Banská Štiavnica city; the main motivation was to decrease the cost of using natural gas. The initiative for installing solar collectors came from the Technical Forestry Secondary School in Banská Štiavnica.

TECHNOLOGY

For the preparation of hot water, type TS 300 solar panels manufactured by THERMO/ SOLAR Žiar Ltd., a Slovakian company from Žiar nad Hronom, are used. Altogether 36 solar collectors are installed and connected to a 6 000 litre reservoir with a heat exchanger. In summer time the amount of collectors suffices to produce enough hot water for all the students accommodated, whilst in the winter time the solar collectors preheat the cold water before it enters the conventional gas fuelled heater.
Approx. 30 000 kWh of heat can be produced annually; the lifetime of the technology is estimated at 30 years.

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ECONOMIC ASPECTS

An investment of SKK 1 500 000 (approx. EUR 45 500) was needed for the reconstruction of the hot water supply system. The project was partly financed by Envirofond, a Slovakian foundation for supporting environmental projects.
The annual operation costs are estimated at approx. SKK 10 000 (EUR 300).
On the basis of this data and the anticipated rising energy (gas) prices, the estimated payback period of the investment is 8-10 years.

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SOCIAL EFFECTS

Not mentioned.

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ENVIROMENTAL EFFECTS

The solar system can save 1 million kWh of heat over its lifetime and will reduce CO₂ emissions by an amount of 450 tonnes.

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DIFFICULTIES, PROBLEMS

Not mentioned.

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FOLLOW UP

Not mentioned.

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FURTHER INFORMATION

THERMO/SOLAR Žiar, Ltd.
Juraj Vozár – consultant/specialist

Na vartičke 14
965 01 Žiar nad Hronom
Slovakia

Tel.: +421 45 601 6080
Fax: +421 45 672 2844
E-mail: info@thermosolar.sk
Web: www.thermosolar.sk

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