Milking it from Solar Power

Local company witnesses great savings from Kingspan Renewables

A Carlow-based dairy farm is one of the many businesses experiencing the benefits of being more environmentally-friendly, after recently installing the latest solar water heating technology from Kingspan Renewables.

The milking parlour located in Ballynunnery, recently had a six square metre Thermomax solar vacuum tube system fitted at its plant, tasked with the objective of heating its water, used to clean its milking equipment and milk storage tank.

John O’Toole, owner of the milking parlour, explains his decision to have the new system installed:

“Currently we house a 9000 litre milk storage tank that is in operation daily. It is essential that both the tank and the equipment are cleaned thoroughly with hot water. We previously heated our 500 litre water tank using a water heater but in an effort to save money and be more environmentally-friendly we looked into solar powered heating alternatives. Having spoken with a few companies, we were impressed by the innovative technology from Kingspan Renewables and intrigued on the benefits that could be achieved through introducing a solar system.

“The Thermomax system was installed in less than two days and it has been an extremely smooth transition, with minimal disruption to day-to-day operations. Since the introduction of the new solar tubes, we have already witnessed substantial payback; not only in reduced heating costs, but also in the time it takes to heat the water, saving us an extra valuable hour per day. I did have reservations about the system operating in the Irish climate but I have been happily proved wrong. Since the system was installed it has been reliable everyday and on the rare occasion that the weather is particularly bad, then we have the water heater to subsidise our hot water requirements.”

Explaining how a Thermomax system from Kingspan Renewables works is Alan Hogan, All-Ireland Sales Director:

“Solar thermal energy transforms direct and diffused solar radiation into useful heat using a solar collector. Each solar collector consists of a highly insulated manifold and a row of solar tubes.  The vacuum inside each tube provides perfect insulation and therefore protects the system from outside influences such as cold and windy weather or high humidity.  The vacuum technology ensures the most effective transfer of energy into heat, giving extra performance in comparison to traditional flat plate collectors and providing heat not only on warm, sunny days, but also in cooler, windy or humid conditions.

“Kingspan Renewables evaluated the needs of Mr O’Toole’s milking parlour and recommended the best system to deliver on the company’s objectives. Many businesses can benefit from solar power both in terms of cost and reducing their carbon footprint and with the current grants available it is a more viable proposition than ever before.”

Kingspan Renewables was established when the Kingspan Group Plc acquired the Thermomax brand of solar vacuum tubes.  Thermomax is the solar thermal market leader and originator of the respected heat pipe method, effectively creating solar hot water in northern European climates.

To find out more information on Kingspan Renewables and its range of Kingspan Solar products please call 048 91270411 or visit www.kingspansolar.com.

For further information please contact Riki Neill or Samantha Livingstone at Life Communications on 048 90668664 or email Samantha@lifecomms.co.uk