Increasing environmental concern over spiralling CO2 emissions, global warming and fossil fuel depletion provides the economic and political imperatives for developing and using renewable energy technology. Solar is suddenly back on the agenda. In the UK, the impact of environmental legislation such as the Climate Change Levy, which came into effect on 1 April 2001, means that manufacturers need to seriously consider ways to reduce consumption of fossil fuel based energy if they are to avoid heavy financial penalties.

At the level of local government, however, there are some positive signs. Thanks to the pioneering efforts of Dave Hayman, former Energy and Services Manager at Halton Borough Council in Widnes, this local authority was one of the first in the country to install a solar system on the roof of its office. One of Magpie Technology's Sun Trackers provides hot water for an entire eight-storey building.

Dave Hayman said: "I have been interested in solar power for many years. The problem has always been that the early technology relied on heat from the sun and here in the North West we don’t get a reliable supply. But now with vacuum tube technology which relies on light rather than heat, we have a workable solar power system for Britain. The Solar Tracker in which it is installed gives us an added advantage. It tracks the sun through the sky during the whole day, whatever the weather, which gives us hours more light than a static fixed solar panel would be able to. When I realised how much the immersion heaters were costing us to provide hot water for the toilets on each of our eight floors, I thought I’d take a serious look at solar again.” Dave admits that like so many other people he was sceptical to begin with, until he discovered the Solar Tracker and its vacuum tube technology. He says: "I have always felt that the 800 watts per square metre you got from the heat of the sun would not be enough for us up here, but this new solar application was very different."

"With our toilets being heavy users of electricity I had the best reason in the world to act. I opted for the Solar Tracker because my calculations told me that it would provide for our needs for at least 78 per cent of the year, with the rest being topped up by our immersion heaters. I forecasted an average saving of 30,000 kilowatts a year or 16 tons of carbon dioxide that is not being pumped into the atmosphere. So the Council is saving money and dramatically cutting pollution. Its amazing! In fact the Solar Tracker is doing more than anything else to change the minds of a lot of sceptics up here!" He was so delighted with the system that he ripped the fuse out of his office's immersion heater to prove to his colleagues that all their hot water is being provided from the sun!

Despite several false starts concerning solar thermal heating due to low efficiency and high costs in the past, it's now a practical and affordable option that will prove its worth in both consumer and commercial applications. A unit with a lifespan of 30 years will obviously help to cut down on CO2 emissions, but it is the fact that it now makes sound economic sense for consumers to adopt solar heating that will prove critical in establishing a market base. Once people realise that there is no rocket science behind it, that it does work and provides excellent benefits the market will expand. If people start putting solar systems on their roofs, then there is hope of achieving the government targets for renewable energy.

The Solar Tracker II combines the high efficiency of LaZer2 vacuum tube collectors with the sophistication of computer controlled actuators to continuously maintain the solar collector’s alignment with the sun. The LaZer2 Solar Tracker is available in four sizes. The smallest at 4m 2 of collector (4m wide x 1.3m high) up to 10m 2 of collector (4m wide x 3m high). This state-of-the-art system maximises the energy collected throughout the year, and can produce over twice the energy of a fixed panel system. By using digital technology the Solar Tracker follows the sun from sunrise to sunset. This allows the system to provide maximum heat whenever the sun shines, supplying hot water for free. Every type of application is catered for, since the Solar Tracker is available in a variety of sizes. A Solar Tracker can prevent over 125 tonnes of CO2 polluting the atmosphere during its life, while providing FREE hot water. Using fossil fuels like oil and gas to heat water is both expensive and unfriendly to our environment. A Solar Tracker will normally provide a return of over 10% per annum of capital cost. As fuel costs increase, so will this return!

The Solar Tracker II is a unique British product, developed for the UK and European climate and is used by private pool owners, industry and the Public Sector. Councils have found the Solar Tracker very useful in meeting their Renewable Energy requirements. Installation is very straight forward and the Solar Tracker can be easily retro fitted to existing installations or incorporated into new projects. It is designed to be either the sole source of heating, or combined with existing heating systems to dramatically reduce fuel bills and servicing costs. After much lobbying of the Government by the Solar Industry, VAT has been reduced to 5% on installed solar systems.

The Solar Tracker is ideally suited to heating swimming pools, many of which are under-utilised because the water is too cold. Using only the suns rays, a pool can be maintained at 26°C - 30°C (77°F-86°F) from May to September. The system can also be combined with a domestic hot water system, to provide year round hot water. The Solar Tracker extends the period that swimming pools can be used and reduces or eliminates the cost of heating.

The Euro Solar Award 2001 was awarded to Halton Borough Council for its innovative solution to heating water. The judges commented: “Interesting project, mainly because it provides readily quantifiable results with clear environmental benefits, which can be seen on the balance sheet. I am not surprised other Councils are looking to follow the lead, this is the sort of small(ish) project which is feasible for very many people without huge external funding. The predicted savings are great. Excellent scheme that deserves commendation and replication.”