Summit Solar Technology
Sunpad outshines typical thermosiphon systems with its slim design
以其纖薄的設計勝過典型的熱虹吸系統
First presented in 2019, the storage tank collector Sunpad has now been delivered in 66 countries on five continents. The manufacturer Greenonetec from Austria confirms that the product sells especially well in South America, Southern Europe, the Middle East and in selected African countries. We spoke with two resellers – one in Egypt and one in Saudi Arabia – about their experiences and sales activities with Sunpad. Increasing electricity prices have triggered demand in Egypt, while sales have risen in Saudi Arabia because of a strong governmental awareness-raising strategy for reducing overall electricity consumption. PV water heaters are not yet seen as a competitor to thermosiphon systems in either country. The photo shows an installation of several Sunpad units for a new sports club belonging to the army in Egypt.
儲罐和集熱器一體的Sunpad于2019年首次推出，現已在五大洲的66個國家/地區傳遞。來自奧地利的制造商Greenonetec證明，該産品在南美，南歐，中東和標明的非洲國家銷售特别好。我們采訪了兩家經銷商（一家在埃及，一家在沙特阿拉伯），了解他們使用Sunpad的經驗和銷售活動。不斷上漲的電價引發了埃及的需求，而沙特阿拉伯的銷售額也有所上升，因為政府采取了強有力的提高認識戰略來減少整體電力消耗。在這兩個國家，光伏熱水器尚未被視為熱虹吸系統的競争對手。這張照片顯示了為埃及軍隊的新體育俱樂部安裝的幾個Sunpad裝置。
Greenonetec took advantage of the high number of international visitors to present the Sunpad for the first time in 2019 at the ISH fair in Frankfurt, Germany. It is a thermosiphon system with the special feature being that the collector and the tank are merged into one unit. Hence building owners no longer have to have large metal vessels on their roofs, as is usual for thermosiphon systems.
Greenonetec利用國際參觀人數衆多的優勢，于2019年在德國法蘭克福的ISH展會上首次展示了Sunpad。它是一種熱虹吸系統，其特點是收集器和儲熱罐合并為一個單元。是以，建築業主不再需要像熱虹吸系統那樣在屋頂上安裝大型金屬儲熱容器。
Greenonetec has developed its Sunpad as a cost-effective solution for sunny regions. The casing consists of EPP (expanded polypropylene) components pressed together. The storage compartment is made of stainless steel and also forms the absorber. It is painted black to avoid high stagnation temperatures. A tube-form, stainless-steel heat exchanger has been integrated into the upper section of the comparatively flat Sunpad storage tank.
Greenonetec 開發了 Sunpad 作為陽光充足地區的經濟高效的解決方案。外殼由壓在一起的EPP（發泡聚丙烯）元件組成。儲熱罐由不鏽鋼制成，也形成吸熱器。它被塗成黑色，以避免高停滞溫度。管狀不鏽鋼熱交換器已內建到相對平坦的 Sunpad 儲罐的上部。
“In principle, we offer Sunpads worldwide, but special focus countries have emerged in recent years. The units are also sold as OEM products and then offered under the customer’s own label”, explained Patrick Vallant, Head of Marketing and Sales at Greenonetec.
“原則上，我們在全球範圍内提供Sunpads，但近年來出現了特别關注的國家。這些裝置也作為OEM産品出售，然後客戶自己提供标簽“，Greenonetec營銷和銷售主管Patrick Vallant解釋道。
Sunpads at a hotel in Ivory Coast Photo: Greenonetec
象牙海岸一家酒店的Sunpads 照片：Greenonetec
Sunpads sell because of nice image and modern look
Sunpads的銷售是因為漂亮的形象和現代的外觀
Summit Solar Technology has sold Sunpads as solar water heaters since it was founded in 2019. The company based in Cairo also offers solar pool heating solutions and PV systems – both roof-mounted and building-integrated. In the area of water heating, the company relies solely on Sunpads and does not offer any other thermosiphon systems.
Summit Solar Technology 自 2019 年成立以來，一直将 Sunpads 作為太陽能熱水器銷售。這家總部位于開羅的公司還提供太陽能泳池供暖解決方案和光伏系統——包括屋頂安裝和建築內建。在熱水領域，該公司完全依靠Sunpads，不提供任何其他熱虹吸系統。
“Sunpads are particularly valued in newly built houses; they have a nice image and look modern”, said Mohamed El Sokkary, Co-founder and Chairman of Summit Solar Technology. “We install them in private homes, but also in public and office buildings and to a lesser extent we sell them to other installers.” As it is an instant water heater, there is no problem with Legionella.
“Sunpads在建立房屋中特别受重視;他們有很好的外觀，看起來很現代“，Summit Solar Technology的聯合創始人兼董事長Mohamed El Sokkary說。“我們把它們安裝在私人住宅中，也安裝在公共和辦公樓中，在較小程度上，我們把它們賣給其他安裝商。”由于它是即熱式熱水器，是以軍團菌沒有問題。
The demand for solar water heater solutions has been triggered by increasing electricity prices in Egypt, confirmed El Sokkary. There is, however, no government support for solar water heaters. He added that an obligation to install a solar water heater exists only in few modern residential compounds and in the new administrative capital of Egypt.
El Sokkary證明，埃及的電價上漲引發了對太陽能熱水器解決方案的需求。然而，政府沒有對太陽能熱水器的支援。他補充說，安裝太陽能熱水器的義務隻存在于少數現代住宅區和埃及的新行政首都。
When asked whether PV-driven water heating solutions are a competition for Sunpad in Egypt, El Sokkary answered with a clear “no, not at all”. “There are products like Nexol photovoltaic boilers available on the market, but they are inefficient and not popular at all”, he added. According to Sokkary, solar electricity is too expensive and difficult to harvest to use it for electric heaters, as they are old technology, voracious consumers of energy and obsolete in many modern countries.
當被問及光伏驅動的熱水解決方案是否是埃及Sunpad的競争對手時，El Sokkary明确回答說“不，一點也不”。“市場上有像Nexol光伏鍋爐這樣的産品，但它們效率低下，根本不受歡迎”，他補充說。根據Sokkary的說法，太陽能電力系統太昂貴且難以獲得電力，無法将其用于電加熱器，因為它們是古老的技術，渴求的能源消耗者，并且在許多現代國家已經過時。
Sunpad installation for a single flat at worker accommodation. Photo Cleantech SA
在勞工宿舍為單人較高價的電梯大廈安裝Sunpad。照片：Cleantech SA
Sunpad installation does not require high technical skills
Sunpad的安裝不需要很高的技術技能
The company Cleantech SA from Saudi Arabia was also one of Sunpad’s early resellers. “We bought the first Sunpads at the beginning of 2019,” confirmed Ahmed Selim, Co-founder and COO at Cleantech SA. We now sell around 300 systems per year – including exports to neighbouring countries, especially to Jordan.” Sunpad solutions are popular among mid to high-income villa owners, resorts, compounds, and construction camps: “Approximately 98 % of our Sunpad sales are bulk orders of 20 units or more”.
來自沙特阿拉伯的 Cleantech SA 公司也是 Sunpad 的早期經銷商之一。“我們在 2019 年初購買了第一批 Sunpads，”Cleantech SA 的聯合創始人兼首席營運官 Ahmed Selim 證明。現在，我們每年銷售約300套系統，包括出口到鄰國，尤其是約旦。Sunpad 解決方案在中高收入别墅業主、度假村、大院和建築營地中很受歡迎：“我們大約 98% 的 Sunpad 銷售額是 20 個或更多的批量訂單”。
Selim sees one important advantage of Sunpad being that it can be sold to subcontractors, “as it doesn’t require high technical skills, providing confidence for self-installation”. Another outstanding factor is the slim design of Sunpad, outshining traditional thermosiphon systems, added Selim. Cleantech SA has different solar water heater solutions in its portfolio aiming at providing tailor-made solutions to meet each client´s unique requirements.
Selim 認為 Sunpad 的一個重要優勢是它可以出售給分包商，“因為它不需要很高的技術技能，為自行安裝提供了信心”。Selim補充說，另一個突出的因素是Sunpad的纖薄設計，比傳統的熱虹吸系統更勝一籌。Cleantech SA在其産品組合中有不同的太陽能熱水器解決方案，旨在提供量身定制的解決方案，以滿足每個客戶的獨特需求。
When asked about the factors driving sales in Saudi Arabia, he answered: “The demand is primarily driven by government initiatives promoting a sustainable future and increased awareness, with consultants mandating solar water heaters in all new construction projects across the Kingdom”. Rising electricity prices like in Egypt are less a factor for triggering demand in Saudi Arabia. Subsidies for solar water heaters are not in place. “However, it is an unofficial mandate in all new projects, both commercial and residential, to specify solar water heating solutions,” Selim concluded.
當被問及推動沙特阿拉伯銷售的因素時，他回答說：“需求主要是由政府促進可持續未來和提高意識的舉措推動的，顧問在王國的所有建立築項目中都強制要求使用太陽能熱水器”。像埃及這樣的電價上漲并不是觸發沙特阿拉伯需求的一個因素。太陽能熱水器的補貼沒有到位。“然而，在所有新項目中，無論是商業項目還是住宅項目，指定太陽能熱水解決方案都是一項非官方任務，”塞利姆總結道。
Selim does not really see PV water heaters as a competitor for Sunpad either: “PV water heaters have yet to penetrate the market due to lower efficiency, larger roof area requirements, and no competitive advantage in terms of pricing.”
Selim 也沒有真正将光伏熱水器視為 Sunpad 的競争對手：“由于光伏熱水器效率較低、屋頂面積要求較大以及在定價方面沒有競争優勢，尚未進入市場。
編譯 陳講運