SOLTRAIN study visit to the Cape Brewing Company

Forty delegates from the SOLTRAIN course on Solar Heat for Industrial Applications were treated to a tour of the solar thermal process heating system at Cape Brewing Company, Paarl in early November.

Having been in full production since 2015, the 120m2 solar thermal array heats a 10 000 litre storage tank, providing hot water at a target temperature of 85°C. The 12 large scale flat plate solar collectors were imported from Austria specifically for the project, being the first time that such collectors have been used in South Africa.

Moving through the plant in two groups, delegates viewed the storage tank and heat exchange station which were fabricated locally predominantly from stainless steel and to the client’s exacting standards.

Overall, the impression gained from questions and interactions, was that solar thermal process heating systems will be valuable and trusted part of the heating landscape of the future.

The afternoon concluded with a beer tasting, an appropriate way to end a solar day!