XN000022-1977-07-23 — Page 4

SATURDAY, JULY 23, 1977

MORRISON HILL SWIMMING POOL ON HONG KONG ISLAND HAS BEEN EARMARKED FOR THE PILOT SCHEME BECAUSE ITS SOUTH SIDE, WHICH GETS THE BEST EXPOSURE FROM THE SUN, IS NOT SCREENED BY TALL ADJACENT BUILDINGS.

+FOR SOLAR ENERGY TO WORK EFFICIENTLY IN HONG KONG, POTENTIAL LOCATIONS NEED A MINIMUM OF SIX HOURS' EXPOSURE TO THE SUN EACH DAY DURING MIDWINTER,+ SAYS PROF. BRUGES. ALTHOUGH WE HAVEN'T YET TAKEN A CLOSE TECHNICAL LOOK AT MORRISON HILL, MY OWN OBSERVATIONS OF THE SURROUNDING SKYLINE INDICATE THAT IT RECEIVES FULL BENEFIT OF THE SUN BETWEEN 10 A.M. AND 3 P.M. DAILY.+

IN INITIAL REPORTS TO THE P.W.D. AND U.S.D. PROF. BRUGES HAS STATED THAT SAVINGS OF UP TO 80 PER CENT OF CURRENT FUEL COSTS CAN BE ACHIEVED WITH SOLAR ENERGY, PARTICULARLY AT BATHHOUSES. AND THIS, FOR A CAPITAL OUTLAY ON SOLAR ENERGY EQUIPMENT WHICH HE ESTIMATES COULD BE PAID OFF WITHIN FIVE TO SEVEN YEARS.

EXACT COST RATIOS FOR SWIMMING POOLS AND LARGER FACILITIES ARE NOT SO EASY TO PIN DOWN, BUT WITH SOLAR ENERGY WORKING ALONGSIDE THE EXISTING HEATING SYSTEM AT MORRISON HILL, PROF. BRUGES HAS PREDICTED THAT THERE WOULD BE SUBSTANTIAL SAVINGS IN THE LONG RUN.

+SOLAR ENERGY IS NO LONGER A NOVELTY OR A FUTURISTIC BUSINESS, HE SAYS. +MILLIONS OF SOLAR ENERGY SYSTEMS ARE NOW WORKING ALL OVER THE WORLD. THE ITALIANS HEAT THEIR HOTELS WITH IT. THE SWISS GIVE TAX INCENTIVES TO DEVELOPERS WHO INCLUDE SOLAR ENERGY SYSTEMS IN THEIR BUILDING DESIGNS.

+WHAT WE MUST DO IN HONG KONG IS TO BUILD A SYSTEM, SHOW THAT IT WORKS AND SAVES ENERGY COSTS AND THEN GET THAT MESSAGE THROUGH TO THE COMMUNITY. THEN WE CAN START LOOKING AT WAYS OF APPLYING IT ON A MUCH WIDER SCALE.+

COMPARED WITH THE SMALL INDIVIDUAL SOLAR HEATING UNITS ALREADY ON THE WORLD MARKETS, THE MORRISON HILL PROJECT WILL BE QUITE SPECTACULAR. INITIAL PLANS CALL FOR A MIXTURE OF VERTICAL FLAT-PLATE SOLAR HEATING PANELS AND PARABOLIC COLLECTORS THAT ACTUALLY TRACK, OR FOLLOW, THE SUN'S RAYS THROUGH THE DAY THE ENTIRE SYSTEM COVERING AN AREA MORE THAN HALF THE SIZE OF THE SURFACE OF THE POOL ITSELF (1,050 SQ. METRES).

THE COMBINED STRUCTURES WILL FACE SOUTH AND BE SET AT AN ANGLE OF 20 DEGREES TO THE HORIZONTAL TO CATCH THE FULL FORCE OF THE SUN'S RAYS, HEATING THE WATER IN THE POOL AS IT FLOWS SLOWLY THROUGH THE SOLAR PANELS.

→THE SOLAR ENERGY SYSTEM WILL NOT ACTUALLY HEAT ALL THE WATER IN THE POOL EACH DAY,+ PROF. BRUGES EXPLAINS. + IT WILL SIMPLY MAKE UP THE LOSS OF HEAT KEEPING THE WATER AT A STEADY COMFORTABLE TEMPERATURE.+

THAT'S WHAT WILL HAPPEN IN WINTER, WHEN THE POOL NEEDS HEATING. BUT WHAT ABOUT THE SUMMER MONTHS WHEN UNLESS THE SOLAR ENERGY SYSTEM IS DISCONNECTED OR SHIELDED, IT WOULD BE PRODUCING THOUSANDS OF GALLONS OF UNWANTED HOT WATER?

/ACCORDING