Aim Solar water heating (SWH) and solar thermal energy are no-brainers in South Africa and the Southern African Region Southern Africa has the world's best solar radiation area suitable for solar water heating Southern Africa depends on finite and polluting fossil fuels leading to a very high carbon footprint and severe climate change impacts Solar water heating and solar thermal energy are cost-effectively accelerating the required rapid transformation from a fossil dominated to a sustainable energy world based on renewable energies Solar water heating and solar thermal energy are cost-effectively alleviating the electricity crisis in Southern Africa Solar water heating and solar thermal energy are creating much-needed job opportunities while alleviating the regional energy supply problems of Southern Africa
 
Scope SOLTRAIN's Train-the-Trainer programme provides advanced solar thermal training and capacity building to tertiary educational institutions and Small and Medium Enterprises (SMMEs) in the participating countries of South Africa, Namibia, Mozambique and Zimbabwe (nine workshops in total). These are then using and disseminating state-of the-art knowledge SOLTRAIN's monitoring programme improves the quality, performance and lifetime of solar water heating and solar thermal systems, and enhances local expertise SOLTRAIN creates sustainable jobs to SMMEs in the region SOLTRAIN initiates and strengthens regional solar thermal policies and measures by informing decision makers on tested and proven international policies, thereby building local and regional markets in the developing world
 
SOLTRAIN co-sponsors 50 solar thermal demonstration systems at social institutions (hospitals, orphanages, old age homes, HIV/AIDS institutions) to improve hygiene and energy efficiency while reducing water heating costs significantly SOLTRAIN co-sponsors a SWH test rig at the University of Stellenbosch. This will provide much-needed technical feed-back to the SWH industry and foster solar thermal R&D and training Duration 2009-05-01 to 2012-04-30 Sponsors Austrian Development Agency (ADA)