SRCC

• USA: SRCC Improves Process Efficiency and Works on Standard for Combi Systems-

  Since Eileen Prado has become Executive Director of the Solar Rating & Certification Corporation SRCC in summer 2010, the average time for the testing and certification process has been cut in half. Although there are new programmes coming up next year, Prado is confident that certification periods can be reduced further.
  Photo: SRCC

• USA: Massachusetts Supports Commercial Solar Systems with up to USD 25,000-

  In Massachusetts, a new support programme for large-scale solar thermal systems has come into effect recently. Building owners can now apply for grants of up to USD 25,000 (residential and commercial systems) or even USD 30,000 (systems on public buildings) thanks to the Commonwealth Solar Hot Water Commercial Pilot Program. Pre-studies can also be funded with up to USD 10,000 – applicants have only to pay 25 % of the costs themselves and will receive the rest as a grant. The photo shows the Massachusetts State House in Boston.
  Photo: Jens Goetzke/pixelio

• USA: Solar Heating and Cooling R&D Renewed-

  
  In policy lobbying even a single sentence included in a bill is, in some cases, already a huge success. This is exactly the case for the Energy and Water Appropriations Bill that has recently passed out of the U.S. House of Representatives. “The Committee supports ongoing Solar Heating and Cooling (SHC) research and development activities within the Building Technologies Program”, is the key sentence in the report that accompanies the bill.

• Spain: Export Helps Solar Thermal Industry Survive-

  One of the biggest Spanish collector manufacturers, Termicol, can still celebrate its 10^th anniversary this year. The company has managed to counter the decline in the Spanish market by expanding its business abroad. Today, the export of collectors generates 20 % of the company´s turnover. With its own brand, Termicol claims a market share of around 10 % in its home country.
  Photo: Termicol

• USA: Industry Joins Promotion Campaign for Solar Thermal-

  More than 20 solar thermal companies have joined Eneref Institute’s Solar Thermal Advantage initiative as sponsors since the initiative’s kick-off meeting in October 2011. The campaign was started five years ago by Eneref’ s founder, Seth Warren Rose. The initiative's goal for the near future is to raise public awareness for solar thermal by presenting case studies in different magazines and newspapers, put together individually for each magazine target group. The first stories were published in Commercial Building Products (circulation 41,000) and Reeves Journal, a plumbing journal with a circulation of 13,000.
  Photo: Eneref

• Standardisation and Quality Assurance in Solar Thermal (2011)-

  This is a presentation made during the Regional Workshop of Solar Thermal Water Heating that took place in Chile in June 2011. The presentation by Dr. Harald Drück from the University of Stuttgart covers the international, European and national standards available for solar thermal components and systems, testing and certification issues.

• Solar Water Heating Basics (2010)-

  This report was prepared by SFEnvironment and explains the basics of solar water heating as they relate to residents of San Francisco, CA.

  SFEnvironment describes in detail the basics of solar water heating technology, what is required in terms of system sizing, cost and special incentives provided by the California Solar Initiative (CSI).

  The documents summary lists several benefits of using solar thermal technology for domestic hot water heating; creation of new jobs in the solar energy sector, cost savings and reduction of carbon emissions.

  Author: SFEnvironment

• New York State: Electricity Replacement Grants for 13,000 Solar Thermal Systems -

  The first financing measure in the framework of New York's Solar Thermal Roadmap is about to be implemented: Very soon, solar thermal technology will be the next technology to profit from the Renewable Portfolio Standards (RPS), which were introduced in the State of New York in 2005. The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) is responsible for administering the RPS funds, which are collected via the electricity bills of individual clients – residential and commercial ones – in the service areas of investor-owned utilities. A total of USD 25.8 million was allocated to subsidise solar thermal installations replacing electric water heaters. Combi systems are also eligible for the incentive scheme if the rooms in question were previously heated with electricity.

• USA: SRCC tackles Backlogs in Solar Thermal Testing and Certification-

  The US-based Solar Rating and Certification Corporation (SRCC) is on the fast lane. Within only one and a half years SRCC has increased the number of accredited test labs from two to fourteen. Collector and system suppliers that want to enter the US-market can now address test institutes in Australia, Spain, Canada, Germany, China and Switzerland, as well as the US.

• DOE – Guide to Water Heating (2000)-

  This publication was prepared by the US Department of Energy and provides general information on the various types of solar water heaters currently available. It also discusses the environmental and economical benefits of installing a solar water heating system and provides a detailed cost benefit analysis.

• Task 43: Worldwide Harmonisation of Solar Rating and Certification Procedures -

  The international harmonisation of norms is advancing: On behalf of operating agent Jan Erik Nielsen from Plan Energi, experts are working on the alignment of EN and ISO norms under Task 43 of the Solar Heating & Cooling Programme managed by the International Energy Agency.
  Photo: ITW

• Development of a Solar Rating and Certification Laboratory in Minnesota (2009)-

  This is a report prepared by the Minnesota Department of Commerce Office of Energy Security (OES) to the Legislature. It focuses on solar thermal technologies for domestic hot water and space heating. This legislation came about from concerns that the nationally recognized solar thermal certification organization, Solar Rating and Certification Corporation (SRCC), process was inadequately serving Minnesota’s solar thermal industry.

• European Facilities Testing Products for the US Market-

  Accredited for SRCC testing: The SPF Institute for Solar Technology from Switzerland is one of six European testing institutes being able to test collectors according to quality standards by the US-American Solar Rating & Certification Corporation.
  Photo: SPF Rapperswil

• IEA-SHC 43: On the Way to Harmonize Testing and Certification-

  At the request of the US Solar Rating & Certification Corporation (SRCC), the International Energy Agency’s Solar Heating and Cooling Programme (SHC) formed Task 43, the “Solar Rating and Certification Procedure”.
  Photo: IEA SHC

• The Agenda for Solar Thermal in SEIA- The solar thermal division of SEIA, the Solar Energy Industries Association in the USA, should be strengthened. This is the decision of a meeting of solar thermal stakeholders during the conference and exhibition Solar Power in San Diego in the middle of October. Representatives of the solar thermal industry as well as of the Solar Rating and Certification Cooperation (SRCC) discussed two different options.
• Enlarging Testing Facilities for SRCC in the USA-

  The extension of the federal tax credits by eight years and the election of Barack Obama have suddenly made the U.S. market for solar thermal energy far more attractive. The importance of imports of collectors and systems is growing. The number of flat plate and evacuated tube collectors has increased more than tenfold within three years according to the statistics of the Energy Information Administration (EIA) from 3,000 m² (2005) to 36,000 m² (2007).

• The SunWatts Solar Water Heating Rebate Programme in Arizona-

  This document lays out the steps and requirements necessary to enroll in the solar water heating systems' rebate programme granted by the Sulphur Springs Valley Electric Cooperative (SSVEC), an energy cooperative in Arizona, USA. A refund of 75 US$ct/kWh saved over traditional water heating in the unit’s first year is being offered by the programme. In order to receive the rebate, it’s compulsory to be a member of the cooperative. The solar system has to respect the OG-300 rating of the national Solar Rating and Certification Corporation (SRCC).

• Training Video for Inspection of Solar Water Heating Systems (2006)-

  These training videos are tutorials from 2006 on how the International Codes apply to solar domestic water heating systems.

  The tutorials were produced by the Florida Solar Energy Center in cooperation with the Solar Rating and Certification Corporation and funding from Sandia National Laboratories.

  See videos here

  Source: www.solar-rating.org

• Solar Rating and Certification Corporation-

  Since 1980, the SRCC was developed whose primary purpose is the development and implementation of certification programs and national rating standards for solar energy equipment. It is the only national certification program established solely for solar energy products. They provide credibility to the product and manufacturers in the industry.

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