Solar Power-A Sweet Boost

Solar energy is being used to process honey in Western Australia. A unique high-temperature system has been installed on the roof of the Western Australia Honey Pool’s factory at Bayswater to harness the sun’s power. The industry is a big user of hot air to warm up honey to change it to the liquid form necessary for processing. At the Honey Pool (a co-operative processing plant representing about 100 honey producers) a diesel-fired boiler is the main energy source. Mr Stan Luce, the pool manager, said that the solar system could save the pool about $5000 a year, or a third of its bill. The new system is tuned to cut in and replace the boiler system when there is favourable sunlight. The system is the result of a project carried out by the University of Western Australia’s department of mechanical engineering with funding by the Department of Resources and Energy.

(Govt of Western Australia Newsletter)