Techno-Economic Assessment of Solar Thermal and Photovoltaic Water Heating Systems for Hospital-Scale Healthcare Facilities

Healthcare facilities in South Africa face escalating operational costs, particularly for continuous water heating. This study performs a comparative techno-economic analysis of Evacuated Tube Collectors (ETC) and Photovoltaic (PV) systems integrated into a large hospital in Bloemfontein. Using a 20-year Life-Cycle Cost Analysis, both technologies were modeled against a baseline network of 57 electric water heaters under Time-of-Use tariffs. Simulation results indicate both systems reduce annual carbon emissions by approximately 53.74 tons. However, the PV system proved economically superior, achieving a rapid break-even period of 1.1 years on an initial investment of USD 6,630, yielding total life-cycle savings of USD 197,509 (84.99% reduction). Conversely, the ETC system demonstrated a 3.9-year break-even and USD 186,521 in savings (80.27% reduction) with a higher capital cost of USD 16,700. While both offer viability, PV-based heating provides a faster return, supporting sustainable healthcare infrastructure management.