SANEDI rolls out cool surface proof of concept project in Limpopo

26th November 2020

By: Simone Liedtke

Creamer Media Social Media Editor & Senior Writer

     

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The South African National Energy and Development Institute (SANEDI) has implemented a successful cool surface proof of concept (PoC) project at the Department of Defence’s (DoD's) South African Military Health Service (SAMHS) training facility in Lephalale, Limpopo.

The project, which entailed the resurfacing of 15 000 m2 of walls and roofs with cool surface technology, forms part of SANEDI’s Million Cool Roofs Challenge, which sees the finalist working towards accelerating access to affordable, sustainable cooling through rapid deployment of cool roof materials.

The Lephalale SAMHS operates as a training facility and accommodation for doctors, nurses and other health practitioners serving in the South Africa National Defence Force (SANDF).

Most of the facility’s accommodation building material is made up of corrugated iron and prefabricated buildings, which means the indoor temperatures are scorching during hotter months.

“Immediately after completion of the project, we took a reading of the outside temperature at the accommodation rooms, it was a staggering 47.2 °C. The facility was making use of industrial air-conditioning to cool down the various buildings which was extremely costly particularly during soaring temperatures in summer,” explains SANEDI Renewable Energy Centre of Research and Development centre manager Dr Karen Surridge.

She elaborates that, as soon as the accommodation surfaces, roofs and walls were painted the team took a temperature reading inside the building – it had dropped to 29.8 °C, almost 20 °C lower.

Although this is a single reading on one hot day, SANEDI will be monitoring the performance of the technology across two years of seasons, to demonstrate that cool surface technology offers a tangible and inexpensive solution to curbing heat and making buildings more liveable.

It is also expected to result in far less electricity consumption and wear and tear on the air-conditioning units at the base.

The SANEDI cool surfaces project included the recoating of the walls and roofs of the students’ accommodation blocks, classrooms, ablutions and trainer’s accommodation blocks. 

The project, rolled out in September, took less than a month to complete and also included the training of five artisans from the SANDF.

“As part of our cool surfaces project, we also train individuals on the correct application of the paint and surface preparation, how to use the airless spray machine and the theory behind how the technology works,” explains Surridge, who adds that, in the case of SAMHS Lephalale, SANEDI opted for white – which was in line with the facility’s standards and also one of the most effective heat emissive colours.

Edited by Chanel de Bruyn
Creamer Media Senior Deputy Editor Online

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