A small Sussex company is at the cutting edge of solar energy development.

Magpie Technologies of Crowborough, best-known for its work on innovative computer systems, is leading the way when it comes to the practical use of renewable energy.

The firm has joined forces with Nippon Electric Glass of Japan, a major solar systems provider, to introduce a system which can link homes to sunshine energy for less than £2,000.

An added attraction is a five per cent VAT rate on installations.

Magpie's Sun Tracker system for swimming pools and commercial applications even works on those all-to-frequent days when the sun fails to make an appearance. It can produce hot water from a freezing sky.

The product is a world-beater, attracting interest from across the Atlantic.

In this country, Sun Tracker is seen by local authorities as the only solar-powered heating system which will fit on an office block roof and provide sufficient hot water for the occupants.

The brains behind the 20-year success story of Magpie Technologies belong to Geoff Fox and Duncan Lee, who have combined a knowledge of advanced software design and aerospace tech nology.

The two designers felt if the unit was to become a commercial success, it had to be able to provide hot water at a low cost.

Now the company has been able to achieve a low unit cost because it imports the best technology in the field from Japan and designs and builds the units in Sussex.

Magpie's water heating unit for homes provides the average family with 75 per cent of its hot water requirements while saving 75 per cent of all hot water costs.

Mr Fox said: "What I like about this product is the combination of the best of the old and the new - light from the sun and modern technology.

"Few people realise the sunlight landing on the earth's surface in one hour is equal to all the energy used in the world in one year.

"Extraordinarily, as we heat our homes with this technology, we are cooling the world, offsetting the greenhouse effect caused by burning fossil fuels.

"The sun is helping us to create environmental balance on earth, while saving money. It's a win-win situation for people and the earth."

John Sainthill, of Hadlow Down, near Crowborough, is a delighted Solar Tracker owner.

He said: "I was immediately impressed by Geoff and Duncan. They are highly experienced in this technology.

"The cost of installing the unit was not that different from more conventional methods of pool heating, with one great advantage.

"Ultimately one is heating the pool for free. And I will quickly recoup the initial cost.

"It was very easy to put in, installation took one day, and the unit is virtually maintenance-free - every three years you have to change the anti-freeze. That's all."

At present, there are just 42,000 domestic solar-powered heating systems in the UK, but with the arrival of an affordable new system, the take-up rate is set to climb.