Embrace solar air technology, says All-Energy Australia speaker

Solar expert Wes Johnston, who will be speaking at All-Energy Australia in Melbourne from 9-10 October, has called on Australia to embrace solar air technology.

All-Energy Australia 2013 keynote speaker Wes Johnston, vice president of the Canadian Solar Industries Association.

As vice president of the Canadian Solar Industries Association, Johnston is very familiar with the role solar air technology can play in reducing energy costs, yet he says the application of the sun is virtually non-existent in Australia.

Johnston explained that solar air technology uses the sun to heat the air. The heated air is then trapped in a metal facade or ‘collector’ on the side of a building and subsequently dispersed throughout it.

Greater Toronto Airport Authority. Photo courtesy of SolarWall - Conserval Engineering.

The technology is said to be a cost-effective, low-emission way of heating commercial and residential buildings. Johnston said the benefits of the technology are “unassailable” - especially for a “sun-kissed nation” like Australia - but while Canada has been a leader in the application for over 10 years, Australia has focused on solar photovoltaics.

At the All-Energy Australia conference and exhibition, which is expected to attract up to 5000 delegates, Johnston intends to “present compelling reasons why solar PV used in conjunction with solar air is a better mix that solar PV alone”.

To register for All-Energy Australia, visit http://www.all-energy.com.au.