Solar water heating is the conversion of sunlight into renewable energy for water heating using a solar thermal collector.
SWH systems are designed to deliver hot water for most of the year. However, in winter there sometimes may not be sufficient solar heat gain to deliver enough hot water. In this case, a gas or electric booster is used to heat the water.
The Persian daily Forsat-e Emrooz recently published an article on the production of solar water heaters and the sector’s investment potential in Iran.
According to Davood Fadaei, the head of Iran Solar Energy Industries Association, the main consumers of solar water heaters are either state organizations who have to use solar equipment due to their environmental obligations, or those living in places with limited access to energy carriers.
Fadaei emphasized that demand from rural inhabitants or those outside city limits is set to rise, as gas supply is still scarce in certain parts of the country.
Iranian solar water heaters are also popular in regional countries such as Afghanistan, Armenia, Iraq, Turkey and Bahrain, as they imported close to 5,000 Iranian SWHs valued at $2 million in 2014.
The official added that about $1.6 million are required to set up a solar water heating production line for manufacturing 15,000 water heaters annually.
Investors would also need $555,000 as working capital. About 35 workers are needed to run the production line.
Fadaei believes that producers should turn to online social media to advertise and promote their products, as solar water heaters are still relatively new in Iran and the people are not informed of their advantages over traditional methods of water heating.
The raw materials required for production can be easily obtained from domestic suppliers at cheap prices and with good quality.
Investors must refer to the Iranian Fuel Conservation Organization to acquire the production permits.
