The Ministry of Works and Transport is close to completing the restoration works on the solar water heating system at the Katutura Intermediate Hospital in Windhoek.
The hospital had been battling to operationalise the production of hot water from the initial solar water heating system which was installed in 2007. The system had been dormant and neglected for years while the hospital struggled to provide hot water for use by patients and staff.
Works and Transport Minister Veikko Nekundi said government has made available N$10.2 million for the restoration of the solar water heating system at the state hospital. The project, being implemented by private company NEC Energy, began on 12 August 2025 and is scheduled for practical completion by mid-January 2026.
Nekundi told parliament that progress on site has been good, with all the damaged solar Collectors removed from the hospital roof and handed over to the Ministry of Health and Social Services for proper disposal.
The new installation includes a 181kWp PV solar system that has been installed at the main hospital roof, 70kWp and 41kWp systems at the nurses home and the kitchen area respectively.
In addition, 8 x 50kW heat pumps have been connected to 8 x 2000 liter existing hot water storage tanks, integrated into the hospital hot water reticulation. In the kitchen 4 x 50kW heat pumps have been connected to 4 x 2000 liter tanks, while two heat-pumps of similar capacity have been connected to two 2000L tanks at the nurses home.
In total, the news system will be able to provide more than 40 000L of hot water to the hospital daily, 25 000L / day to the kitchen and 15 000L daily to the nurses home complex.
“We have employed a methodical and quality-focused approach to ensure longevity and reliability of the system we are installing,” the Minister said. Included in the contract is a five-year Operational Maintenance Agreement of the PV Solar and Hot Water System.
Apart from guaranteeing hot water for the hospital, the revamped system will also help to reduce the electricity bill of the hospital and achieve Cabinet’s directive objectives of installing solar water heaters instead of using electricity for heating water.
Nekundi said the contractor (NEC) continues to follow strict site instruction protocols to maintain transparency and accountability throughout the project.
Currently, the only functioning solar water heating system at the Katutura State Hospital is the one installed at the maternity ward. This is a state-of-the-art solar water heating system installed by the Namibia University of Science and Technology (NUST), through the Namibia Energy Institute (NEI).
The thermal system, comprising of 120m2 collector area equivalent to 84kW of electrical power, was implemented by NUST under the Southern African Solar Thermal Training and Demonstration Initiative (SOLTRAIN) project on behalf of Ministry of Mines and Energy (MME) at a cost of N$2 million. Half the funding (50%) was provided by SOLTRAIN, while MME provided the other half.
The solar heating system was designed and installed by SEG Solar Energy (Pty) Ltd, from South Africa, and was commissioned on 16 May 2022.
The solar water heating system provides approximately 10 000 liters of hot water per day to the Maternity Ward, making sure that mothers have access to hot water during pregnancy, childbirth and the postpartum period.
