ADEME

• Estec 2011: “We need incentive tariffs for solar thermal”-

  The crisis in the European key countries was present during the entire 5th European Solar Thermal Energy Conference (ESTEC) in Marseilles on 20 and 21 October 2011. Around 300 speakers and participants tried to deliver new ideas and concepts to get the industry back on track. At the second conference day, "plug and flow", "solar active houses", "fixed prices for end consumers" and "solar incentive tariffs" were among the key issues of a round-table discussion, which was moderated by Uwe Trenkner, a consultant based in Brussels (third from left).
  Photo: ESTIF/ Joël Assuied

• 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.

• Large Scale Deployment of Solar Thermal Technologies (2004)-

  This case study was created by ADEME, the French Agency for Environment and Energy Management. It provides information on the Plan Soleil Initiative, which is the solar thermal program of France’s national renewable energy initiative called REACT.

  The Plan Soleil Initiative was France’s drive to introduce solar thermal water heating into residencies and buildings. Central to the campaign were communication efforts to educate citizens on the benefits of the program and government subsidies to make the technology more affordable.

• ESTIF: Call for Paper for estec 2011-

  The 5th European Solar Thermal Energy Conference (estec) will take place in Marseilles, France, on 20 and 21 October 2011. The international event is organised by both the European Solar Thermal Industry Federation (ESTIF) and the French solar energy association Enerplan and, supported by Ademe, the French Environment and Energy Management Agency.

• France: Dissatisfying Market Development in 2009-

  Collective systems are on the rise in France: This photo shows the youth hostel of the Association Logis des Jeunes de Provence in the city of Cannes in the South of France. Photo: Enerplan

• Solar Thermal Applications in Eastern Europe with Guaranteed Solar Results. The East- GSR Project (2008)-

  This is the final report of the EU funded project East-GSR (2006-2008), created to support the development of the solar thermal market in 5 Eastern European countries (Bulgaria, Poland, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia). One of the main objectives of the project was to promote the performance guarantee approach for large solar thermal systems focusing on the example of the Guaranteed Solar Results (GSR) contract. The project was coordinated by the French Energy Agency ADEME.

• QualiCert Newsletter - March 2010- The second edition of the QualiCert Newsletter has just been published Read it below
• France: Qualisol – A Quality Scheme for Installers-

  Qualit’EnR manages the solar thermal installers label Qualisol and offers a wide range of services to qualified installation companies, such as: listing on the web portal (www.qualit-enr.org), free technical assistance, advertising and communications material and the Qualit’EnR newsletter.

• France already set Targets in 2007: Great efforts to reach them-

  France is the frontrunner in Europe in terms of implementing political frame conditions for solar thermal technology. The government already approved the country's energy law, the so-called “Grenelle de l’Environnement“, in 2007. Richard Loyen, Secretary General of the French Solar Energy Association Enerplan, explained that the law, “more or less anticipated the implementation of the RES Directive” when he spoke during an association workshop organized by the European Solar Thermal Industry Federation (ESTIF) in Brussels last December.

• France: Support Scheme for up to 30 Solar Heating and Cooling Systems-

  One of the successful show cases of solar cooling applications in France: The vinery in Banyuls, in the south of France, where 130 m² of vacuum tube collectors supply an absorption chiller with 52 kW cooling capacity since 1991.
  Photo: Tecsol

• Examples of Success stories from France-

  The “PLAN SOLEIL” (2000 – 2006) was a programme aiming to boost the solar thermal applications in France.

   “Plan Soleil” was considered to providing very strong incentives and measures. It is based on the following actions:

• QualiCert Newsletter - December 2009- The first edition of the QualiCert Project Newsletter
  Newsletter N1 -
• REFUND+ Final Report (2009)-

  The REFUND + project (2006-2009), supported by the Intelligent Energy Europe and ADEME (Agence de l'environnement et de la maîtrise de l'énergie), intends to identify, monitor and evaluate the impact of incentive schemes on the development of RES heating systems in private households in five countries: Austria, Belgium, France, Italy and Portugal. Implementation of specific financial instruments was simulated in two case studies in Lithuania and Poland.

• Collective Systems on the Rise in France-

  The segment of collective systems shows high growth rates in France: The main factor behind this growth are the incentives paid by Ademe, the France Energy Agency. The investment for the solar thermal system on top of this multi-storey building in Paris was €353,000 of which 39 % were subsidised by Ademe. Photo: Enerplan