Austria

• World Sustainable Energy Days, Wels- The World Sustainable Energy Days, a large annual conference in this field in Europe, offer from 27 February to 1 March 2013 the combination of events on sustainable energy production and use, covering energy efficiency and renewable energy sources for buildings, industry and transport. Four conferences, which present the latest technology trends, outstanding examples and European strategies - and the “Energiesparmesse“, an important energy trade show, offer opportunities to establish new partnerships.
• Austria: Collector Production Unit for Sale-

  The factory for sale in Austria is a complete and new production facility for standard flat plate collectors. “The buyer will be able to manufacture and sell high-quality collector modules without any delay,” the worldwide shown ad explains. The production capacity of the absorber and collector production line in three shifts was 54,000 m² and could be extended further.

• USA: Solar Army Guide recommends optimal System Configurations-

  Dr. Alexander Zhivov of the US Army Corps of Engineers presented the recently developed US Army Guide on Central Solar Water Heating Systems at the Intersolar North America conference in the middle of July 2011 (see attached presentation). The speaker is Senior Principal Investigator at the Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC) of the US Army and Project Manager of the Solar Guide. The 321-page study analyses the potential and technical feasibility of domestic hot water production in US Army facilities, such as barracks, dining facilities, hospitals or gyms.
  Photo: US Army

• Austria: Greenonetec Celebrates Two Birthdays-

  20 solar years, 50 years of age, one success story: This was the motto under which Austrian collector manufacturer Greenonetec celebrated the company’s 20^th anniversary and the 50^th birthday of its CEO Robert Kanduth (shown in the picture with his wife Helvig) on 13 April 2012. Over the last 20 years, Kanduth has not only been successful in leading his company, which is the No 1 flat plate collector manufacturer worldwide, but also in acting as the chairman of the Austrian industry association Austria Solar.
  Photo: Dietmar Wajand

• European Solar Days Expect more than Half a Million Participants-

  Grassroots campaign drums up enthusiasm for clean energy: From Tuesday, 1 May, to Sunday, 13 May, hundreds of thousands of European citizens are gathering at locations all across the continent to show their interest in solar energy during the European Solar Days (ESD). At hundreds of events, the ESD will demonstrate to audiences, such as policy makers and companies - but particularly to individual citizens - the benefits of using solar energy to generate heat and electricity. The nearly two-week campaign includes showcasing solar thermal and solar PV technologies, trainings for company staff, doors open days, street events for children, balloon release and many more.
  Photo: Fotostudio Pflueg

• Solar Heating and Cooling in Austria - Status Report (2009)-

  This report - presented to the International Energy Agency Solar Heating and Cooling Programme in 2009 - gives an overview of the solar heating and cooling industry in Austria.

  This includes an outline of the national and European regulatory environment, and the research programmes used to further technological development in the sector. Austrian public expenditure for energy research is specified as €31,886,023 in 2007, of which €826,852 was directed towards solar heating and cooling.

• Austria: First Federal Incentive Programme for Solar Water Heating-

  On 17 April, Austria started its first federal incentive programme for solar water heating in the residential sector. This means that the Austrian Climate and Energy Fund now supports new private solar thermal installations with EUR 400 per system if the collector area is 5 m² or more. The total budget of the programme is EUR 5 million. It will run until 31 December 2012.
  Photo: Austria Solar/Sonnenkraft Vertriebs GmbH

• Market Study - EU HighCombi project (2011)-

  This document provides information on the EU project HighCombi. It includes a market study of the project's six target countries, and outlines the solar thermal state of the art in each.

• Europe: Heineken Brewery to Install Three Big Solar Plants-

  The famous beer brand Heineken has just placed an order for three big solar thermal plants that will produce the heat required for the brewery’s industrial processes at different company sites. Two of these systems will be installed at breweries – one in Valencia, Spain, and one in Göß, Austria - and one will be set up at a malting plant in Vialonga, Portugal. The photo shows beer bottles on their way into the tunnel pasteuriser at the Valencia brewery.
  Photo: AEE INTEC

• Europe: SDHplus Gathers Experts and Newcomers to Solar District Heating-

  Just after the Intelligent Energy Europe (IEE) project SDHtake-off will have ended in June 2012, there will be a follow-up project called SDHplus. Six new countries will join it: Spain, France, Lithuania, Croatia, Poland and Slovenia. Experienced partners from the former SDHtake-off project will help them promote solar district heating by launching awareness-raising campaigns and assessing the potential of their heat supply network. SDHplus comes with a budget of EUR 1.8 million from the IEE fund and will run over three years.

• Bulgaria: Sunny Mood at SEE Solar 2012 in Sofia-

  While representatives from over 250 companies and 31 countries gathered at the Inter Expo Center Sofia for the 8th South-East European Solar Exhibition on 28 March, the Bulgarian government decided to cancel the highly controversial Belene Nuclear Power Plant project. Of course, the timing was only a coincidence. But still, the government’s decision could have an impact on the future development of renewable energies in Bulgaria. For years, critics of the government’s plans to set up the Belene plant for an estimated EUR 10 billion feared that the project could tie funds urgently needed to improve the country’s poor energy efficiency and leave too little money for green energy projects, such as solar thermal installations on the roofs of public buildings. Now, with a definite end to the idea of another nuclear power plant, market players in Bulgaria hope for new growth in the sector of alternative energies.
  Photo: Frank Stier

• Europe: InSun Project Showcases Concentrating Collectors for Process Heat-

  1 April was the starting day of the EU FP 7 Project InSun (Industrial Process Heat by Solar Collectors) coordinated by zafh.net, the Centre for Applied Research on Sustainable Energy Technology at the University of Applied Sciences, Stuttgart, Germany. The participants of the project want to show to the public how to integrate flat plate, parabolic trough and Fresnel collectors into different processes and at different temperature levels. The project will run until March 2015 and has a budget of EUR 4.1 million. The owners of the pilot plants will receive back 50 % of their investment costs from that money.
  Photo: zafh.net

• Opening of the Kioto Collector Factory in Mexico-

  Thumbs up! Klaus Meier, general manager of Kioto S.A., Marlon Rechberger, sales director of Kioto S.A. and Robert Kanduth, chairman of the board of Kioto Clear Energy AG(from left to right), are satisfied with their new production unit in the Mexican city of El Salto (Guadalajara). Photo: Kioto

• USA: Slowdown in 2009 while Imports go up-

  Slowdown in the US: After the 2008 peak, the total sold area of medium temperature collectors decreased by 5 % in 2009, to 204,700 m². Exports amounted to only 2,100 m² of collector area, which means that the newly installed collector area in the United States in 2009 adds up to a total of 202,500 m².
  Source: Energy Information Administration

• Singapore: World's largest Solar Cooling Plant in Commissioning Phase-

  The solar thermal cooling plant at the United World College (UWC) in Singapore has now entered the commissioning phase. The system's collector surface covers an area of 3,900 m² and powers a 1,500 kW cooling unit, which is based on a single-effect lithium bromide absorption chiller. The United World Colleges are international schools with an emphasis on social and environmental issues. With 2,900 pupils, Singapore's UWC is the largest of the 13 colleges spread around the world.
  Photo: S.O.L.I.D.

• Eurosun 2010: Joining Forces for Europe’s biggest Solar Heating and Cooling Conference -

  All signs point to a successful conference: Experienced event organizer AEE Intec from Austria and PSE from Germany, teamed up with the International Solar Energy Society (ISES) and the members of the International Energy Agency's (IEA SHC) Solar Heating and Cooling Programme to organize this year´s Eurosun conference.

• Sonnenkraft: “We Have a Responsibility to Innovate and Develop Solar Energy”- With the expansion to the United Kingdom and Switzerland, Sonnenkraft’s network of sales offices now spans across nine countries. When adding the company’s partnerships in other markets, the manufacturer is among the solar thermal businesses with the most extensive market coverage across Europe. Solarthermalworld.org spoke to Magnus Wallin (left), who has been Director of new and emerging markets in Sonnenkraft since 2008, and Torben Sørensen (right), CEO of SolarCAP since 2010 (the Danish holding company of Sonnenkraft – among other companies) who came from a position as CEO of Faber and Benthin Group (subsidiaries of VKR Holding), about the market potential in different European countries and the company’s future growth strategy.
  Photos: Sonnenkraft
• Austria: Solar Foods Project Researchers Develop Tool to Optimise Processes -

  During the on-going Solar Foods project, researchers from Austria are developing software to help integrate solar heat into the food and beverage industry. The software will not only show mass and heat flows in a diagram, but also help optimise them to improve energy efficiency and find the best way to establish solar heat in this sector. The project is financed by the Austrian Klima- und Energiefonds. It started in March 2011 and will run one more year. The photo shows a typical bottling plant.
  Photo: AEE INTEC

• Albania: Solar Water Heaters Project increases Market Size (2008)-

  Albanian's solar thermal testing centre: inaugurated in September 2008, managed by the Harry Fultz Institute in Tirana and financed by the Austrian Development Agency (ADA) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
  Photo: www.entwicklung.at

• Austria: Bankers and Solar Companies Exchange Opinions-

  Acquiring affordable loans for large solar thermal plants is a challenging task. On 30 January, the industry association Austria Solar organised a meeting between representatives of the banking and investment sector, engineering companies, solar companies and industrial customers for process heat. The less than a dozen attendees, many of them CEOs, gave the meticulously planned workshop its exclusive touch. According to Roger Hackstock of Austria Solar, all parties learned a lot about each other. They also agreed to work together more closely in the future.
  Figure: Thommy Weiss / pixelio.de

• Saudi Arabia: World's Biggest Solar Thermal Plant in Operation-

  Since July, the world’s biggest solar thermal plant has gradually come into operation. It produces heat for a women’s university in Saudi Arabia, the Princess Nora Bint Abdul Rahman University inaugurated at the end of 2011. From July onwards, students and staff have been moving onto the campus and with heat demand increasing, the covers have been removed one by one from the six solar fields. The photo shows the collector field on a warehouse – the buildings in the background all belong to the university.
  Photo: AEE Intec

• Overview on Solar Thermal Plus Heat Pumps Systems and Review of Monitoring Results (2011)-

  The target of the present paper is to give an overview on commercially available Solar Thermal and Heat Pump Systems (SAHPS) and a review on available monitoring results of these integrated systems. It is the fruit of the research of German, Italian and Austrian specialists in the framework of IEA’s Solar Heating and Cooling Programme.

• Gleisdorf Solar 2012, Gleisdorf - From 12th to 14th September 2012 AEE – Institute for Sustainable Technologies (AEE INTEC) is organising the international conference on solar thermal energy Gleisdorf SOLAR for the tenth time in cooperation with the city of Gleisdorf and Feistritzwerke Steweag GmbH. The event has grown in reputation during the last years and now attracts considerable interest from all over the world. Approximately 400 participants from at least 20 nations are expected to attend the conference.
• Austria: IEE Project So-Pro Comes to Successful Close in September 2011-

  After running for 28 months, the IEE So-Pro project to develop and promote solar process heat ended in September 2011. Project Leader Christiane Egger was able to present a successful programme at the Estec 2011 in Marseilles: More than 90 energy screenings in various industrial companies, about 160 persons trained, 990 participants of round-table events and conferences, 21 publications in 5 languages, 7 pilot projects in operation and about 10 in the pipeline. For the complete interview with Christiane Egger, click here.

• Austria: Bending and Laser Welding in One Production Step-

  Austrian collector manufacturer Tisun GmbH started operating a new type of absorber production machine at the beginning of November 2011. Developed and delivered by Austrian machine supplier DTEC GmbH, the special feature of the machine is its ability to bend and laser-weld parts in a single production step. “We have patented the three-dimensional head which bends, forms and welds the piping to the absorber plate,” explains DTEC’s Managing Director, Michael Dietl. The photo shows the multi-functional laser head with its tools installed in the factory.
  Photo: Tisun

• Widening the Thermal Solar Energy Exploitation by the Successful Models (2011)-

  Running until 2012, “Widening the Thermal Solar Energy Exploitation by the Successful Models" (WidetheSee) is a project developed by 11 South-Eastern European countries and co-financed by the EU. It aims at promoting the usage of solar thermal technologies for domestic hot water appliances in the context of European policies concerning renewable energy sources and the reduction of fossil fuel dependence.

• Singapore: Fair Competition between Solar Thermal and Photovoltaics-

  Solar thermal technology has still a long way to go in Southeast Asia before being recognised as the reliable and valuable alternative energy source it is appreciated for in other parts of the world. Solar heating and cooling technology did not play a major role at Singapore’s Clean Energy Expo Asia (CEEA) at the beginning of November 2011. The trade fair and conference is part of the Singapore International Energy Week, which is the biggest event of its kind in Southeast Asia. Only two international solar thermal exhibitors found their way to Singapore: Austrian engineering company SOLID (see photo) and hydraulic specialist Oventrop from Germany.
  Photo: SOLID

• Solar District Heating – Macro Analysis Report (2011)-

• Success Factors in Solar District Heating (2010)-

  The 'SDHtake-off - Solar District Heating in Europe' project is a EU-funded project (under the European Commission Programme IEE Intelligent Energy Europe)supporting the market rollout of solar district heating in Europe. It started on July 2009 and runs for a period of three years. This document is one of its deliverables, describing the development of SDH capacities in Europe as a result of the existing policies and incentives.

• Italy: District Heating Sector shows great Interest in Solar Thermal-

  On 29 and 30 September, the project partners of the EU project SDHtake-off met for a workshop during the GeoThermExpo in Ferrara, Italy. “All the big players in district heating in Italy joined our meeting,” project coordinator Thomas Pauschinger from German research centre Solites says. He sees that as an indicator for the growing interest of the district heating industry in solar thermal applications. The Italian town Serrazzano (Photo) might soon have a solar district heating system.
  Photo: Geo Energy Service

• World Sustainable Energy Days, Wels
• World Sustainable Energy Days, Wels- The World Sustainable Energy Days, the largest annual conference in this field in Europe, offer a unique combination of events on sustainable energy production and use, covering energy efficiency and renewable energy sources for buildings, industry and transport. Five conferences and seminars - which present the latest technology trends, outstanding examples and European strategies - and the “Energiesparmesse“, an important energy exhibition, offer ideal opportunities to establish new partnerships. The conference
• Combisol Project: „Solar combi systems are gaining market share“-

  In December 2010, the Solar Combisystems Promotion and Standardisation (CombiSol) project ended after running for three full years. The aim of the project was to expand the market development of Solar Combi Systems (SCS), which provide both space heating and domestic hot water, and to promote an improvement of the quality of systems installed. Project partners were the National Institute of Solar Energy – Education (INES Education), France, the Institute of Thermodynamics and Thermal Process Engineering (ITW) of the University of Stuttgart, Germany, French Environment and Energy Management Agency ADEME, PlanEnergi, Denmark, the Committee Renewable Energy at the Institute for Sustainable Technologies (AEE), Austria, and Dalarna University, Sweden.

• IEA Study "Solar Heat Worldwide": Global Market Growth of 22 % in 2006-

  2006 was an extremely satisfying year for the global solar thermal industry. According to the new study “Solar Heat Worldwide. Markets and contribution to the Energy Supply 2006” on behalf of IEA Solar Heating & Cooling Programme the new installations grew 22 % in 2006. The authors from the Austrian research institute AEE Intec surveyed 48 countries and added up the newly installed collector area to 18.3 GWth (26.1 million m2).

• What are the advantages of solar thermal technology at a national level?- “Replacing imported fuels with local jobs”, this slogan of the European Solar Thermal Industry Federation (ESTIF) sums up perfectly the advantages of solar thermal technology for a national economy. The six biggest solar thermal markets in Europe – Germany, Austria, Italy, Spain, Greece and France – already exceeded 34,000 full time jobs in 2007 (check related article here). With an annual average growth rate of 20 % that is 6,800 jobs more each year. In the boom year 2008 in Europe this calculation results in 116,000 full-time jobs.
• What are the long-term future perspectives of the sector in Europe?- The ambitious scenario of the European Solar Thermal Industry Federation (ESTIF) expects Europe will reach 0.7 kW_th (1 m² of collector area) per European in 2020, equivalent to a total capacity in operation in the EU by then of 320 GW_th. To reach this target, a suitable support framework will be required and solar will then be widely used for both cooling and supplying process heat, though the majority of this capacity will still supply domestic hot water and space heating.
• Germany: Ritter creates Subsidiary for distributing XL Installations-

  Focusing on large-scale solar thermal installations: In August, German group Ritter Energie- und Umwelttechnik has established Ritter XL Solar, a subsidiary to exclusively distribute the group's large-scale solar thermal installations with CPC vacuum tube collectors. The CEOs of the new subsidiary are Dr. Rolf Meißner (left), Engineering, and Detlev Seidler, Marketing & Sales. Photo: Ritter
  Photo: Ritter

• Renewable Energy in Europe. Markets, Trends and Technologies (2010)-

  This second edition of the European Renewable Energy Council (EREC) study presents the latest political, technological, financial and economic information on renewable energy technologies in the fields of heating and cooling, electricity and biofuels in order to reach the binding 2020 target of at least 20 % renewable energy from final energy consumption.

• SOLTRAIN: Solar Thermal Training in South Africa-

  Thirty seven solar water heating industry leaders and academics have just attended the third SOLTRAIN (Southern African Solar Thermal Training and Demonstration Initiative) solar thermal technical training course in Pretoria, South Africa. The training was formally opened by the regional coordinator of the programme, Professor Dieter Holm. In opening, Holm emphasized the value of the hands-on approach to the course under the guidance of a number of eminent experts in the field. The delegates represented a balanced mix from industry and academia.
  Photo: Omnibus Engineering

• Macedonia: "Electricity more important than Heat"-

  In Macedonia, a solar system has just been installed on the roof of a primary school. The system, which will provide power for lighting and the school computers, is at least a small step towards establishing solar energy in the country - but unfortunately, only in the direction of electricity production. In terms of heating and cooling, there is not much to present in the former Yugoslavian country in the southeast of Europe, although climatic conditions are great. Solarthermalworld.org talked to Sanja Popovska-Vasilevska, Vice President of the solar association Solar Macedonia, about the situation of solar thermal in her country.
  Source: Wikimedia Commons

• World Sustainable Energy Days 2012, Wels- The World Sustainable Energy Days, a large annual conference in this field in Europe, offer from 29 February to 2 March 2012 the combination of events on sustainable energy production and use, covering energy efficiency and renewable energy sources for buildings, industry and transport. Four conferences, which present the latest technology trends, outstanding examples and European strategies - and the “Energiesparmesse“, an important energy trade show, offer opportunities to establish new partnerships.
• Austria: Fully automated Bending Machine at Greenonetec-

  In March 2011, German machinery supplier Felss Burger GmbH delivered an automated bending machine for the production of serpentine absorber pipes to Austrian collector manufacturer Greenonetec. The machine achieves a high production capacity of 72 meanders (1.2 x 2 m²) per hour. A robot removes the finished serpentine absorber pipe from the machine, places it on a pallet, grabs a piece of cardboard and puts it on top of the pipes.
  Photo: Greenonetec

• New IEA Task for Solar Process Heat-

  At their meeting in June, the Executive Committee (ExCo) of the International Energy Agency (IEA) gave green light to a new task for solar process heat. The IEA-SHC (Solar Heating and Cooling) Task 49 – “Solar Process Heat for Production and Advanced Applications“ - will start in January 2012 and run for four years. The now rough outline of the task will be further specified in a second “Task Definition Meeting“ at the Solar World Congress in Kassel, Germany, on 2 September 2011. Task participants will then take the suggestions made by the ExCo to spell out the activities for solar process heat in more detail.

• Solar Cooling Market to experience big Changes-

  According to Dr Uli Jakob, Vice President of the “Green Chiller - Association for Sorption Cooling”, the solar cooling sector may soon experience a shift from small series production of a niche market to considerable manufacturing quantities. Jakob points out two signs supporting such a development: First, the approval of the IEA-SHC task 48, “Quality Assurance and Support Measures for Solar Cooling“; second, the recent market entry of big players, such as Stiebel Eltron (Germany) and Hitachi (Japan).
  Photo: Bärbel Epp

• ESTIF Statistics at Intersolar: Highs and Lows in the European Solar Thermal Market-

  More detailed market figures can be found in this year’s ESTIF booklet: The 16-page market report is going to be published at the Intersolar Europe in Munich. For the first time, the report will include a map showing key figures as well as articles with background information on solar cooling and large solar thermal systems. Source: ESTIF

• Mexico: Two Collector Manufacturers upgrade their Collector Production-

  Products turn out big at Kioto Clear Energy: Sales and Marketing Director Marlon Rechberger (left) and General Manager Klaus Maier present a laser-welded absorber produced by the newly purchased laser-welding machine. 
  Photo: Kioto Clear Energy

• Potential for Solar Heat in Industrial Processes (2008)-

  This paper from 2008 wants to highlight the potential use of solar thermal plants to provide heat for industrial applications. It reports on studies which have been carried out accross the world: Austria, Australia, Belgium, Germany, Greece, Portugal and Spain.

  The report states that the main focus of solar thermal today is on the residential sector, which, as is acknowledged, has a lot of opportunities. However, the report also shows that the potential for industrial applications may not be ignored due to its share in primary energy consumption.

• “We were prepared for this Outcome” -

  In most of the National Renewable Energy Plans (NREAPs), solar thermal was not a priority. Only 8 countries announced significant collector area and growth rates (see news here). solarthermalworld.org asked Xavier Noyon, Secretary General of the European Solar Thermal Industry Federation (ESTIF), about the reasons behind this lack of consideration, and about the actions which have to be taken now.
  Photo: ESTIF

• Solar Cooling: German Fraunhofer ISE compares PV and Solar Thermal-

  Over the last 5 years, the number of installed solar cooling systems worldwide increased tenfold. The main obstacles for a more pervasive and faster market development are high upfront costs and lack of experience among main stakeholders, such as planners and architects. Based on various simulations, German institute Fraunhofer ISE analysed the saved primary energy and total annual costs of solar thermal, photovoltaic and conventional solutions for heating and cooling by using the example of a hotel in Madrid (see attached presentation).
  Photo: Source: Fraunhofer ISE

• Austria: Solar District Heating on the Rise in Graz-

  On the 15^th of May, the city of Graz saw the inauguration of another large-scale solar thermal installation (from left): Dr. Wolfgang Messner (Graz AG), Andrea Pavlovec-Meixner and Sonja Grabner (municipal councillors), Christian Holter (S.O.L.I.D) and Wolfgang Malik (Graz AG). Photo: Graz AG

• Solar Cooling Kits for Europe-

  Solar cooling for an office building in Kordin, Malta: The Chillii Solar Cooling Kit PSC10 uses 30.5 m² flat plate and 7 m² of vacuum tube collectors to generate 10 kW of cold in an ammonia/water absorption chiller. Photo: Solarnext

   

• The Market Potential of Micro-CHCP (2009)-

  This is a study assessing the market potential of small scale Combined Heating Cooling and Power (CHCP) in several European countries (Austria, Czech Republic, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland). The study is one of the final deliverables of the PolySMART Project (POLYgeneration with advanced small and medium scale thermally driven air-conditioning and refrigeration technology), an integrated project partly funded by the European Commission under 6th Framework Programme.

• Lisbon: Solar cooling system for office complex- Solar thermal installation on top of this huge banking complex in Lisbon: The Portuguese state bank Caixa Geral de Depositos (CGD) commissioned the Austrian engineering company S.O.L.I.D. to design the solar cooling plant. Photo: S.O.L.I.D.
  

• Viessmann ordered a new Laser Welding Machine in Austria-

  Next April, a laser welding machine from the Austrian machinery supplier Dtec will come into operation in the Viessmann Factory in Falquemont, France.
  Photo: Dtec

• Austria: Kioto Group launches Solar Air Pump Heating System in Designer Look -

  Kioto Clear Energy wants to establish itself as a solar thermal system supplier on the international solar thermal markets. The Austrian company group, which owns 50 % of OEM collector manufacturer Greenonetec, presented its “Sonnenheizung” (solar heating) at the international heating fair ISH in Frankfurt in March. The photo shows Helmut Walten, Manager of the Solar Thermal Division at Kioto Clear Energy, and Robert Kanduth, founder and chairman of the board of Kioto Holding.
  Photo: Bärbel Epp

• Overview of RES-H/RES-C Support Options (2009)-

  The present report was prepared in the framework of the RES-H Policy project (Policy development for improving RES-H/C penetration in European Member States (RES-H Policy)). The aim is to provide an overview of possible policy instruments to support the development of renewable heating (RES-H) and cooling (RES-C) technologies in the different EU Member States.

• Challenge of the world market: “Europe is stuck with high installation costs” -

  “Competition on price” was one of the key questions of the panel discussion at the international conference SMEthermal 2011 in Berlin on 10 February. Representatives from the major solar thermal markets worldwide discussed the challenges of the world market among them (left to right): Hakan Alas, General Manager, Ezinç Metal (Turkey), Michael Hsu, CEO, Sunshore Solar Energy – Business Development Central Europe (Austria/China) and Lucio Mesquita, Managing Director, Thermosol Consulting (Canada/Brazil). SMEthermal is an annual one-day conference dedicated exclusively to manufacturing of collectors and tanks, new materials and process optimisation. There were 160 participants from 22 different at the event.
  Photo: Solarpraxis AG / Therese Aufschlager

• Intersolar Speakers present latest figures of key Solar Thermal Markets-

  Several well-known speakers shared their market figures from key solar thermal markets worldwide with the audience of the Global Solar Thermal Markets session at the Intersolar Conference at the beginning of June. Whereas India and Brazil maintain high growth rates, the European solar heating and cooling sector has to again cope with a decline of now 13 % in 2010 compared to the previous year. The chart shows the developments of markets with a volume of 200,000 and 500,000 m². It is part of the 16-page brochure “Solar Thermal Markets in Europe”, which the European Solar Thermal Industry Federation (ESTIF) presented at the Intersolar.
  Figure: ESTIF

• Long-term Trend in Austria: Combi Systems in retrofitted Houses -

  Austrian flat plate collector manufacturers may smile again: Last year's decline seems to have been overcome. A quarterly anonymous survey carried out by an Austrian accounting company among 25 members of the solar thermal industry association Austria Solar (representing 75 % of the total market volume) showed an increase in sales of 22 % in the first quarter of 2011, compared to the previous weak year. The annual market statistics carried out by the Federal Ministry for Transport, Innovation and Technology (BMVIT) also show several other interesting trends, such as the one towards combi systems (see figure).
  Figure: BMVIT/Austria Solar

• Austria: Subsidy Programme for large-scale Solar Systems extended-

  The subsidy programme "Solar Thermal – Solar large-scale” launched by Austria Solar was one of the most successful programmes of the Austrian Climate and Energy Fund in 2010. The 38 submitted projects were twice as much as could be financed by the original budget (see www.solarthermalworld.org/node/1538). Its increase still during 2010 made it possible to ultimately finance all of the applications received. The 2011 budget now provides EUR 5 million – more than double the amount of last year.

• Austria Email: Polyester Fibre Fleece Insulation for up to 5,000 litre Tanks-

  The new polyester fibre fleece insulation by Austrian OEM tank manufacturer Austria Email was the star attraction of the company's stand at the international heating fair ISH in Frankfurt in March. Austria Email started producing polyester fibre fleece last year in their factory in Knittelfeld and launched it under the name 'Eco Skin'. 70% of the raw material comes from recycled polyester fibre, which, in turn, comes from recycled PET bottles - 30 % is new material. Unique is the composition of the fleece material.
  Photo: Bärbel Epp

• Austria: Greiner’s Takeover involves Negotiations with 470 Creditors -

  Greiner´s takeover of the three Austrian solar thermal companies Xolar, Sun Master and Solution does not proceed as expected. In its first press release at the end of January 2011, Greiner Technology & Innovation GmbH - the subsidiary which is to integrate the three solar companies - announced that only OEM collector manufacturer Sun Master will go through insolvency proceedings. Two weeks later, the Greiner group launched a press release to announce that also wholesaler and installation company Xolar GmbH opened restructuring talks supervised by a liquidator. And another four weeks later on 11 March, solar system integrator SOLution, with its head office in Sattledt, Austria (see photo), went into insolvency, too – this time without a press release from Greiner.
  Photo: Solution

• Dominican Republic: Purchase Agreement between Sunmaxx and Retecsa-

  Installation company Retecsa from the Dominican Republic and US-American system supplier Sunmaxx have entered into a purchase agreement. Part of this new cooperation was a 4-day training in January by Sunmaxx instructor Todd Paternoster at the Retecsa company site in Santiago. Besides technical issues, the training answered questions about the advantages and energy savings of renewable energy systems, as well as how to use specialised software to design larger solar thermal projects. Photo: Sunmaxx

• Germany: Solar Thermal Sector Layoffs-

  The market slump in Germany in 2010 brought problems for the solar thermal sector. Three examples show that the entire value chain is affected: From manufacturers to system suppliers and installers.

• How Upper Austria Become the World's Leading Solar Thermal Market (2010)-

  This paper, produced by O.O. Energiesparverband, the energy agency of Upper Austria, allows the reader to understand what makes Upper Austria a leading market for solar thermal in Europe. The publication goes through the general concepts of solar thermal to the specific case of Austria and its application in single-family houses, apartment buildings, hotels, restaurants, public, commercial and institutional buildings. This interesting publication also passes in review policy and financial instruments used by government to boost the use of this technology.

• Austria: Greiner takes over Sun Master, Xolar and Solution-

  The new face in the solar thermal industry: Hannes Möseneder, CEO of Greiner Technology & Innovation GmbH, will incorporate three new companies into his division: ”We are convinced that the inclusion of Xolar, Sun Master and Solution into Greiner Technology & Innovation is a further step towards sustaining the Group's growth”. The Greiner Group currently has 7,220 employees and achieved a turnover of EUR 1.031 billion in 2009.
  Photo: Greiner T&I

• Austria: Solar District Heating Workshop and Plant Visit Tour -

  Solar District Heating (SDH) is making its first step into the market. According to the website of IEE project “SDHtake-off - Solar District Heating in Europe”, experts estimate a long-term potential for solar district heat of 5% and an annual solar heat production of roughly 30 TWh_th. From 16 to 17 March 2011, the initiators of the SDHtake-off will hold a Workshop and Plant Visit Tour on solar district heating. The event will take place in Graz, Austria.

• Workshop and Plant Visit Tour Solar District Heating, Graz-

  The Workshop and Plant Visit Tour Solar District Heating will take place in Graz, Austria from 16 to 17 March 2011. The workshop’s objective is the facilitation of the development of new Solar District Heating plants in towns and villages, focusing on Southern and Eastern European ‘newcomer countries’. Various feasibility studies have shown a great potential for this technology e.g. in countries like France, Italy and Poland.

• USA: Second Workshop for Solar Air-Conditioning and Refrigeration-

  The 2nd Workshop for Solar Air-Conditioning and Refrigeration, taking place in Las Vegas on 2 February, will bring together top experts from Europe and North America - among them Christian Holter, SOLID (Austria), Steve Hunter, Vanir Energy (California/US), Daniel Mugnier, TECSOL (France), and Tom Lopp, Power Partners, Athens (Georgia/US).

• Austria: Number of new Jobs in the Solar Thermal Sector underestimated-

  The Austrian government seems to underestimate the number of jobs which the solar thermal sector could create over the next ten years. In the “Masterplan green jobs” published in October 2010, the Austrian Federal Ministry for Environment estimates that around 66,000 new jobs are going to be created in the renewable sector by 2020 if the share of renewable electricity and heat increases to 34 % within the next ten years.

• Austria: Clinched Aluminium-Copper Absorber with omega-form Sheet-

  New absorber production process: The so-called Omega absorbers by Austrian company Estec Energiespartechnik Süd consist of coated aluminium plates, harp-type copper pipes and omega-form aluminium sheets. In order to join plate and sheet, the company uses an entirely automated clinching machine developed by Austrian machinery supplier RG Fertigungstechnik.
  Photo: RG Fertigungstechnik

• Austria: Great Demand for large-scale Solar Systems Funding-

  The results have convinced the sceptics: The interest in large solar thermal systems between 100 and 2,000 m² of collector area has been enormous in Austria. 76 requests have been submitted in the framework of the incentive programme “Solar Thermal - Solar large-scale" started in June 2010. 41 applicants received consultancy by one of the participating Austrian research institutions and submitted the application documents before 15 October. The chart shows the respective application areas of the 41 proposed projects totalling 15,877 m2 of collector area.
  Figure: AEE Intec

• Europe: 2011 Conferences dedicated to Solar Heating and Cooling-

  In Europe, only a few conferences focus exclusively on solar heating and cooling in 2011. Most events combine both solar thermal technology and photovoltaics, with two-thirds of the schedule being reserved for solar electricity and only one third for solar thermal. Please check the event calendar for more information about these events. The few events in 2011 that deal only with solar heating and cooling (and have been included in the event calendar, too) are listed in the following:

• Sweden: Growing Number of Feed-in Contracts with District Heating Providers -

  Net metering solar heat: Allbohus Fastighets AB, a municipal housing company, has built a roof-integrated solar collector field of 350 m² on a multi-family building in Vislanda, Sweden, which is connected to the district heating network via a pre-fabricated sub-station. When the solar heat is greater than the building’s heat load, the building owner will be paid for the solar heat going into the heating network. When the solar energy does not cover the building’s heating demand, the building owner pays for the complementary heat delivered by the heating network.
  Photo: Heat-On

• Israel: The History of Punching Machines-

  There are two suppliers of punching machines from Israel challenging each other to have been the first to market on the market: Ravid Solar Solutions and Dagan Machine Engineering. The history of both companies shows certain parallels, as both companies were founded by former employers of Israeli collector manufacturers. The photo shows a fully automated punching machine by Ravid Solar Solutions.
  Photo: Ravid Solar Solutions

• Sweden: First Buffer Tank receives P-Mark Certificate -

  The buffer tank Ecoscience by Swedish tank manufacturer Fueltech Sweden AB is the first tank to receive the P-Mark certification. After one year of testing and paper work, the P-labelling of the 520 litre tank with fresh-water station and external solar loading module was approved at the beginning of November 2010. P-Mark is a quality mark developed by SP, the Swedish National Testing and Research Institute. To receive the label, a product must fulfil requirements in four different categories: efficiency, safety, documentation and manufacturing quality.
  Photo: Fueltech Sweden

• Mexico: New Industry Association Protects Local Industry Against Cheap Imports -

  Since 1976 in the solar thermal business: Salvador Steffani is the founder and General Director of the collector manufacturer Captasol. His company is initiator of the newly founded Renewable Energy Industry Association FAMERAC and member of the National Association of Solar Energy (ANES).
  Photo: Captasol

• Washed Glass: 24-hour Just-in-Time Supply-

  Greenonetec in Austria is the first collector factory in Europe that has its own glass supplier next door. Petraglas set up a production unit just across the road. This is a model already standard in China, where the material suppliers are situated in the same industrial area as the collector manufacturers. Photo: Greenonetec

• NREAPs: Only 8 countries to plan with significant Area and Growth Rates-

  Clear-cut concepts and mandatory targets to protect the climate was what the European Commission requested from the 27 EU members as they created their National Renewable Energy Action Plans (NREAPs). On 30 June 2010, 23 states delivered their national version – with meagre success for solar thermal technology. Carried out by the European Solar Thermal Industry Federation (ESTIF), an analysis of the presently available NREAPs shows that only the 8 countries displayed in the figure above included significant collector area and growth rates in their plans lasting until 2020.
  Source: ESTIF

• EINSTEIN: Expert System for the Intelligent Use of Solar Thermal in the Industrial Sector- Using solar heating for industrial processes is still far away from being a standardised solution. Any industrial process has to be analysed and individual solutions have to be developed. To simplify this approach, a European Consortium developed EINSTEIN, a software tool which works out an energy efficient solution for the production process, based on renewable energy sources. This project is financed by Intelligent Energy Europe (IEE) and coordinated by the Austrian research institute Joanneum Research Forschungsgesellschaft mbH.
• Baxi Group: US$ 3 million for a New Collector Production in Turkey-

  A modern Turkish collector factory: Baymak purchased a laser-welding machine as part of the new collector production unit at Istanbul. Photo: Baymak

• Hungary: Interesting but highly fluctuating Market-

  Over the last years, Hungary has turned out to be an interesting but highly fluctuating market for solar thermal technology. Through its subsidiary in the neighbouring country, Austrian manufacturer Tisun has been doing business in Hungary since 2008 and has already made its mark on the state's solar thermal sector. In December 2009, the company supplied the collectors for the so-called „Village House“ in Budapest, with its 1,500m² the country's largest thermal system so far. Solarthermalworld.org spoke with Michael Tschol, Tisun's Sales Director for the Hungarian market, and Balázs Szendrö, Tisun's Sales Manager on-site in Hungary.
  Photo: Tisun

• AEE INTEC: Applications for Solar Thermal Systems (2005)-

  This fact sheet was created by AEE INTEC, the Institute for Sustainable Technologies in Austria. It provides information on the various ways solar thermal systems can be set up for water heating purposes in a variety of settings.

• Sweden: Media Campaign receives ISES Europe Award 2010-

  Clearly committed to solar energy: During the Eurosun 2010 conference in Austria, ISES Europe President Dorota Chwieduk presented the ISES Europe Award 2010 to Jan-Olof Dalenbäck for the media campaign of Svensk solenergi (Solar Energy Association of Sweden). The award includes EUR 1,000 of prize money and recognizes outstanding promotion activities in the field of solar thermal and PV between 1 January 2009 and 1 May 2010.
  Photo: Eurosun

• USA: Partnership to set up new Collector Production Site -

  Another transatlantic solar partnership: Adam Farrell, CEO of North American solar thermal importer and system supplier Sunmaxx Solar, and Klaus Mischensky, CEO of Austrian collector manufacturer Geo-Tec Solar Industries, announced the creation of a joint-venture at the Intersolar North America in San Francisco in July 2010.
  Photo: Sunmaxx

• Austria: Campaign with 270 million Impressions- Between February and May 2010, the solar campaign “Clever people heat with the sun” (Schlaue heizen mit der Sonne) promoted solar thermal technology across all of Austria's main media channels: radio, television, newspapers and special interest magazines. The marketing measures reached a total of almost 270 million impressions (see the table below).
  
  
• European Solar Days: Around 6,600 Events in 17 European Countries-

  Everything revolves around the sun: 17 European countries participate in the 3rd edition of the European Solar Days from 1 to 16 May 2010. Around 6,600 events are planned for this year’s campaign, involving several hundred thousand citizens at a local level.
  Photo: Fotostudio Pflueg

• The Winners of the Solarthermalworld.org Quiz-

  The winners of the solarthermalworld.org quiz were announced on 1 October, at the end of the Eurosun 2010 conference in Graz, Austria. The photo shows the lucky participants (from left): Matthias Gebauer (Ecoscop), Veronika Schweinzer (University of Graz), Bärbel Epp (editor of solarthermalworld), Jens-Peter Meyer (editor of Sun & Wind Energy) and Philip Ohnewein (Solid).
  Photo: Eurosun

• A Common Framework for a Coordinated/Harmonised Policy on Renewable Heating (2010)-

  The present document was prepared in the framework of the RES-H Policy project (Policy development for improving RES-H/C penetration in European Member States). The RES-H Policy project, supported by the European Commission through the IEE programme, has the objective of supporting EU Member States (Austria, Greece, Lithuania, The Netherlands, Poland and UK) in the implementation of the so-called RES 2020 Directive (2009/28/EC).

• Singapore: Austria delivers and finances biggest Solar Cooling Installation worldwide-

  A major order for two Austrian companies was announced at a press conference in the middle of August: Austrian engineering company Solid - represented by its two CEOs Christian Holter (middle) and Franz Radovic (right) - signed a contract with the United World College of South East Asia (UWCSEA) to deliver, install and operate a solar heating and cooling installation with 3,900 m² of collector area in Singapore. The Raiffeisen-Landesbank of Steiermark (RLB-Stmk) will be responsible for financing the investment of around EUR 4 million together with the OeKB, the Oesterreichische Kontrollbank.
  Photo: Solid

• Austria: Greenonetec opens one of the fastest Collector Assembly Line in the world-

  Austrian OEM collector manufacturer Greenonetec runs four robots at its new assembly line for tray collectors supported by seven workers. With a cycle time of around one minute, the highly automated production line is one of the fastest in the world.
  Photo: Greenonetec

• Austria: Call for Papers/Speakers on Solar Process Heat-

  The first international conference dedicated exclusively to solar process heat will take place in Wels, Austria, from 3 to 4 March 2011 as part of the World Sustainable Energy Days. It is organised by the O.Oe. Energiesparverband, the regional energy agency of Upper Austria, which is also the coordinator of the Intelligent Energy Europe project "Solar Process Heat" (So-Pro).
  Photo: So-Pro.

• SOLAIR: Survey of Available Technical Solutions and Successful Running Systems - Cross-Country Analysis-

  This paper compares existing databases of knowledge on the solar cooling applications from across Europe with SOLAIR’s own database. References are made to the SACE (Solar Air-Conditioning in Europe) project and the Solar Heating and Cooling Programme (SHC) of the International Energy Agency.

  According to the Report, previous databases concluded that 70 solar cooling installations were present in Europe in 2004 with the majority residing in Germany.

  SOLAIR’s database had a different focus and therefore includes data such as:

• USA: Strategic Partnership between Tank and Collector Manufacturer-

  Start of a new cooperation: Bill Vallett, Jr., President of Lochinvar (left) and Robin Welling, Managing Director of Tisun, presented their new brand Lochinvar/Tisun at the AHR Expo in Orlando, Florida, in spring this year.
  Photo: Tisun

• World Sustainable Energy Days 2011, Wels -

  The World Sustainable Energy Days, a large annual conference in this field in Europe, offer from 2^nd to 4^th March 2011 the combination of events on sustainable energy production and use, covering energy efficiency and renewable energy sources for buildings, industry and transport.

• Saudi Arabia: Largest Solar Thermal Plant in the World with 36,305 m²-

  Three partners, one project: Representatives from all three participating companies - Millennium Energy Industries, Jordan, and Greenonetec and AEE Intec, both based in Austria - met for their kick-off meeting at the collector factory of Greenonetec.
  Photo: Greenonetec

• Austria: EUR 2 Million for Large-Scale, Commercial Applications-

  Austria shows that even in a generally difficult economic situation, a government can still expand its solar subsidy schemes: On 11 June, the Austrian environmental minister, Niki Berlakovich, introduced a new incentive programme for large-scale solar thermal systems. Photo: National Austrian Environmental Ministry

• International Conference Solar Process Heat 2011, Wels-

  While solar heat for domestic and service applications has increasing market shares across Europe, solar process heat is still in its infancy. The potential is enormous: about 30% of the total industrial heat demand is at temperature levels below 100°C which can be provided from commercially available solar thermal collectors.

• Is solar thermal technology still a niche market?-

  There are a number of mature markets like Israel, Austria, Barbados, China or Cyprus where solar thermal is used by a wide majority of people for heating the domestic hot water and sometimes for room heating.
  

• Which are the major solar thermal markets worldwide?-

  By far the largest solar thermal market in the world according to newly installed solar thermal capacity per year is China. In 2008, around 21 GW_th (30 million m²) were sold in China, which was around 80 % of the world global solar thermal market.