Germany

• Romania: Signs of Recovery at Bucharest’s RomTherm -

  The Romtherm, the international exhibition for heating, cooling and air conditioning, has become a meeting point for solar thermal system suppliers in Romania. Installation companies in the field of heating, cooling and renewable energies have greatly appreciated the trade fair. The 17^th Romtherm opened its doors in the capital city of Bucharest at the end of April, with 92 exhibitors on an area of 7,000 m². According to the organiser, Romexpo, the fair has attracted approximately 4,000 visitors.
  Photo: Mihai Vintila

• Energy Storage – International Summit for the Storage of Renewable Energies, Dusseldorf- On 18 and 19 March 2013, representatives from research, industry, politics and energy supply will again get together at the “2nd Energy Storage – International Summit for the Storage of Renewable Energies” in order to shed some light on commercially viable applications and innovative concepts for energy storage as well as on their potential and affordability. The internationally renowned scientist Prof. Dr. Eicke R. Weber, spokesman of the Fraunhofer Energy Alliance and Head of the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems in Freiburg, is the Chairman of the Programme Committee.
• 4. SMEThermal 2013, Berlin- The international conference SMEThermal is held in Berlin on 29 January 2013 already for the forth time. The one-day event deals explicitly with process optimization, automation and new materials in the tank and collector industry. More than 180 companies from all over the world are expected to participate.
• 13. Forum Solarpraxis, Berlin- The 13th Forum Solarpraxis will, following its well-proven approach, bring the players of the solar industry into contact with representatives from politics, the financial world, the press and the industry's suppliers. One of Europe's leading industry conferences will offer relevant and applicable talks on the current non-technical issues facing the sector, covering all forms of solar energy capture. It will focus on the political environment, market developments, public relations, financing and marketing.
• 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

• Solar Summit 2012, Freiburg-
  Solar Summit Freiburg 2012 is the International Conference on Highlights and Trends in Solar Energy, taking place from 18-19 October in Freiburg, Germany. It will give participants a comprehensive overview of the latest achievements and state of the art of all major technologies in solar energy conversion. Energy transition creates major challenges, and cities and municipalities must play a key role in finding solutions. How can local authorities contribute to making the necessary energy transition? This year's Solar Summit is devoted to this important question, and will feature the special topic "The Future Sustainable City". 
  
  Solar Summits Freiburg is a series of international solar conferences, taking place for the fifth time. International experts and top-class speakers from the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE, will address a professional audience. The conference is hosted by the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems, ISE. The conference chairman, Prof. Eicke R. Weber, Director of the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE in Freiburg, sets a high value on communication and networking possibilities during the conference. Following each lecture and of course during the breaks there will be sufficient time for questions and discussions between presenters and participants.
  
  
• Germany: President Gauck Visits Ritter Group-

  Solar thermal technology seems to have made quite an impression on the new German head of state. Only one month after taking office, the new President, Joachim Gauck (centre), visited the Ritter Group on his inaugural trip through Baden-Wurttemberg, one of Germany’s states leading in innovative technologies. The visit came at the invitation of Baden-Wurttemberg’s Prime Minister, Winfried Kretschmann (right). Alfred T. Ritter (left), major shareholder of the dynamic company group, introduced the two politicians to the ecological future of heating. He also used the possibility to raise their awareness of the benefits gained by solar thermal.
  Photo: Ritter Group

• Germany: ‘Green Alliance’ Bears First Fruits-

  About one year ago, a German system provider in the field of surface technology, Eisenmann AG, and German Ritter XL Solar GmbH, a company specialised in large-scale solar thermal installations, joined forces to form the „Green Alliance“. Its aim was to promote solar process heat, especially in paint plants. Now, the alliance has borne first fruits: The joint venture has got its first order for a 400 m² solar thermal plant at Zehnder Group, Switzerland.
  Photo: Ritter XL Solar

• 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

• Germany: Haier’s Loss Leader Strategy-

  Internationally operating Haier Group, the world’s fourth largest appliance manufacturer, has caused quite a stir prior to the IFH/Intherm (Trade Fair for Sanitation, Heating, Air Conditioning, Renewable Energies ), which took place in Nuremberg, Germany, at the beginning of April. The fax that the Chinese group’s German sales office, Haier Deutschland GmbH, had sent to plumbers and distributors in Southern Germany showed a bargain price of 666 Euros for an entire solar thermal hot water system.
  Photo: Matthias Hüttmann

• 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

• Summary of Achievements for ProSTO project (2011)-

  This document summarises the main achievements of ProSTO, an IEE funded project on the ‘best practice implementation of solar thermal obligations’. Implemented by Ambiente Italy, the project ran from 2008-2010 in five European countries (Italy, Germany, Spain, Portugal Romania), with the general objective to ‘boost the use of solar thermal systems in the European countries by promoting an efficient implementation of solar thermal obligations (STOs)’.

• 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

• India: Two Solar Desalination Pilot Projects by Tinox-Mage-

  One box on three Euro palettes brings the desalination unit to the site: The MiniSal 1000 purifies up to 1,000 litres of sea or brackish water per day like this installation in the town of Al-Hail in Oman. The first two pilot projects in India are already under way.
  Photo: Mage Water Management

• 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

• Germany: Minitec sells Assembly Line with certified Collector -

  Pressing the red button: The SolarThermal Competence Centre (STCC) of German machinery supplier Minitec GmbH & Co. KG was inaugurated at the end of August by Margit Conrad, the Minister for Environment, Forest and Consumer Protection of the Federal State of Rhineland-Palatinate. The Centre demonstrates the standardized and streamlined serial production of high-quality collectors.
  

• 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

• 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.

• Greece: How will the Solar Thermal Industry survive the Financial Crisis?-

  The solar thermal industry in Greece has not been as much affected by the financial crisis as other sectors in the country. A good case in point is Elitherm, one of the pioneering collector manufacturers in Greece, whose core business was floor heating products, piping and plastic window frames. “We had to reduce our number of employees from 150 to just 30,” explains Emmanouel Kastanakis, the owner of the company. The remaining staff is now concentrating on the production and sales of solar water heaters and photovoltaic systems.
  Photo: Elitherm

• Germany: Backlash against Solar Heating and Cooling Sector-

  Prospects for the German solar thermal industry remain gloomy. For the second time in a row, the market has shrunk significantly. The installed collector area in 2009 (1,615,000 m²) was already 23 % less than the record figure in 2008 (2,100,000 m²). In 2010, however, installation figures have again been down from last year's figures by around 20 %. “The drop in installations is hurting the industry badly, because most German collector and tank manufacturers have just invested in new production facilities, which are now running below capacity,” Helmut Jäger, Second Chairman of solar industry association BSW Solar and Managing Director of Solvis, a manufacturer and supplier of renewable heating systems, says.

• Germany: Increased Funding Levels of national Subsidy Programme -

  The up and down in the German Market Rebate Programme for Renewable Energies (MAP) continues. Just in time for the beginning of the ISH, the worldwide largest trade fair for bathroom, building, energy and climate technology in Frankfurt, Germany, the Ministry of Environment published its new conditions for the MAP subsidy programme, which covers solar thermal installations, biomass boilers and heat pumps. The new regulations came into force on the same day, the 15 March (see database of incentive programmes).
  

• Germany: Steep Decline in Collector Sales in 2010-

  The German solar thermal market decreased by 26 % in 2010. According to the solar industry association BSW-Solar and the heating industry association BDH, 1.15 million m² (805 MW) of new collector area were installed on German roofs last year. The market volume of 2010 is almost as low as the one in 2007, one year before the enormous boom in 2008. Compared to the market volume of that year, it equals a 22 % increase.
  Photo: Source: ESTIF/BSW-Solar

• Mexico: 25,000 Solar Home Project starts with Delay-

  Final agreement: André Eckermann (left), Programme Director of the German Agency for Technical Cooperation (GTZ), and Victor Manuel Borrás Setién, head of Infonavit, shook hands during the official launch of the 25,000 solar roof programme in Mexico in the middle of June. The programme is financed by the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMU).
  Photo: GTZ

• China: Architects and Engineers Surveyed on Solar Obligations -

  “The solar mandatory laws in provinces and cities in China constitute a very good policy. Only the implementation methods seem rather inappropriate in some cases,” Joseph Huang summarised the results of a study among architects and engineers in the Chinese solar thermal sector in a presentation held at the conference Solar Thermal Power Forum in Beijing in February 2012. The study was carried out on behalf of the Chinese International Metal Solar Industry Alliance (IMSIA). Huang himself is Project Manager Building Energy Management at the Chinese office of the International Copper Association (ICA) and also founded the IMSIA in November 2010.
  Photo: Bärbel Epp

• Germany: Cost reduction, labeling and new materials are topics of SMEThermal 2012-

  The global breakthrough of solar thermal will depend on how well the industry masters the challenge of cost-effective tank and collector manufacturing. This is the key issue of the 3rd SMEThermal conference on 7 February 2012 in Berlin, Germany. The international event is dedicated exclusively to process optimization, automation, and new materials in the solar thermal industry. The organizer, Berlin-based Solarpraxis, launched the complete programme at the end of October (see attached pdf).

• Germany: Waiting for Politicians to Act-

  Since the beginning of the year, only a few solar thermal installations in Germany can still receive incentives from the German Market Rebate Programme for Renewable Energies (MAP). A new tax rebate for energy-efficient modernisation of buildings could encourage home owners to invest in solar thermal again. However, an agreement between the Federal Council and the government seems rather unlikely. The reform of the Renewable Energy Heating Law (EEWärmeG) has also made no progress.
  Photo: s.media / pixelio.de

• 9th Solarpraxis Forum, Berlin- Established as an inter-disciplinary cooperation exchange, the Solarpraxis Forum will again this year bring the players from the solar industry in contact with representatives from the political and financial worlds and with the press. The Solarpraxis Forum offers up to date and practical lectures on all non-technical issues. The emphasis in the presentations is always on the practical applicability of the information and real project experiences.
• Germany: “Solar Thermal Business might have a Structural Problem”-

  2011 was a better year for the German solar thermal industry than 2010, but it still has been far from a good one: Compared to the so far best year, 2008, the collector area installed in 2011 was around 40% less, although figures are still 10 % above the previous year 2010. German’s solar and heating industry associations name different reasons for the dissatisfying market development in the last three years.
  Source: BSW-Solar, BDH 

• Germany: Market Rebate Programme since 1999 with changing Regulations- Since the launch of the German Market Rebate Programme for Renewable Energies (MAP) in the summer of 1999, the programme has experienced even more adaptations of its requirements than the number of years it has been running so far. The latest in its series of changes became effective in January 2012.

• 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
• Germany: Solar Thermal Experts Discuss Cost-Cutting Strategies -

  The solar thermal industry is facing major challenges: Costs of storage and collector components have to be reduced even further if large solar plants are to offer investors competitive prices for heating. Hence, 170 industry representatives and scientists from all around the world came together at the international industry conference SMEThermal 2012 in Berlin at the beginning of February 2012 to explore cost-cutting strategies during a round-table discussion.
  Photo: Solarpraxis AG / Therese Aufschlager

• India’s First Reliable Solar Map Coming Soon-

  Until now, there has not been any reliable data on solar radiation levels in India. This is why developers of solar power and solar process heat installations usually refer to NASA and its satellite images when it comes to identifying the locations with the best solar radiation and to forecast the solar yield of a planned system. However, the US space agency’s radiation maps are not as adequate as they might seem to be. Developers of solar power plants have already observed differences between the actual power output and the forecast from satellite data. A new research project supported by the German development agency is now thought to fill the gap. Within the next two years, the SolMap project should be able to offer a solar map of India. The photo shows one of the monitoring stations of the Indian Centre for Wind Energy Technology (C-WET).
  Photo: C-Wet

• 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

• China: Industry Increased Export Business 12-fold-

  Within 6 years, the Chinese solar thermal industry increased its export business 12-fold, from USD 20 million in 2005 to USD 250 million in 2010. In 2011, the newly installed collector area in China has jumped up another 18 % to 57.6 million m2 (40.3 GW_th). Putting the focus on solar technology has proven to be the right step: Nowadays, significantly more new solar water heaters are being installed per year than gas or electric water heaters (see chart). These and other market figures were presented by the retired head of the China Solar Thermal Industry Federation (CSTIF), Zhentao Luo, during the IEA SHC roadmap workshop in Beijing in November 2011 (see attached presentation in Chinese).
  Source: CSTIF/CREIA

• German Ministry of Foreign Affairs with New 203 m² Air Collector System-

  Since December 2011, a total of 81 solar air collectors by German manufacturer Grammer Solar have supplied the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Berlin with sun-heated air. The air collector system is part of an energy savings contract that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has drawn up together with the German Energy Agency (dena) and the energy efficient building specialists of YIT Germany GmbH in 2011. The overall aim is to save more than EUR 600,000 in operation costs and around 1,780 tons of CO₂ emissions per year.
  Photo: Grammer Solar

• India: CEO Panel Calls for Increased Efforts in R&D -

  The discussion panel of the solar thermal industry was one of the star attractions at the Intersolar India conference, which took place at the Leela Kempinski Hotel in Mumbai in the middle of December. The panel consisted of the CEOs of leading solar water heater manufacturers (from right to left): Davinder Kaushal (Inter Solar Systems), D. V. Manjunatha (Emmvee Solar), Sanjay Jinturkar (Sudarshan Saur), Tarun Kapoor (Joint Secretary, Ministry of New and Renewable Energy), Hemant Revankar (Bipin Engineers), Gurminder Singh (Racold Solar), Sankar Dev Kunnath Kalam (Photon Solar) and Thyagamandlu Ananth (Nuetech Solar). The discussion was moderated by Jaideep N. Malaviya (standing on the left), CEO of the Solar Thermal Federation of India (STFI).
  Photo: Intersolar

• Unglazed Solar Collectors in Heat Pump Systems: Measurement, Simulation and Dimensioning-

  This is a paper presented by a group of German researchers during EUROSUN 2008 International Congress on Heating, Cooling and Buildings held in Lisbon, Portugal. Addressing the use of heat pump systems with boreholes together with solar thermal collectors, their project - „Unglazed Solar Collectors in Heat Pump Systems: System Concept and Dimensioning” – is linked with Task 44 of the International Energy Agency’s Solar Heating and Cooling Programme.

• Argentina: NGO Promotes Solar Water Heaters in Social Housing-

  One organisation to promote solar water heaters in Argentina is the NGO Forum for Social Housing and Energy Efficiency (Foro de Vivienda Social y Eficiencia Energética, FOVISEE). The first 33 solar systems have already been installed in a social housing project in Moreno, a district of the country’s capital Buenos Aires. In the long term, FOVISEE aims to install 100 systems in the district – and is looking for a partner which will help finance the project. The photos show a family in Moreno who benefited from a solar water heater set up on their roof.
  Photo: FOVISEE

• 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.

• Russia: Solar-Heated House Wins Energy Globe Award-

  Russian architect and professor Pavel Kazantsev has won the Energy Globe Award for his solar-heated house Solar-5. The house has been adapted for the far east of Russia, around the city of Vladivostok. While the FEFU university in Vladivostok has already built a small version of the house, called Solar-5M, the first full-scale Solar-5 house for a private owner is now under construction as well. In a next step, Kazantsev and his team have decided to set up a model house, which will be open to the public.
  Source: Pavel Kazantsev

• Tunisia: PROSOL Subsidises 4,000 m² of Commercial Installations -

  The “Collective Prosol Programme” in Tunisia is gaining momentum. The National Agency for Energy Conservation (ANME) started the subsidy programme for solar thermal installations in the tertiary sector back in 2008. The application rate was low at first, but 2010 became a good year for the commercial solar thermal market. At the end of that year, ANME counted a total installed and subsidised collector area of 4,000 m², including four hotel installations with together 480 m² and around 130 smaller installations under 30 m². According to ANME, grants for another 1,770 m² are still in the pipeline. And, a solar programme targeting 18 public swimming pools is also under development. The photo shows the solar installation on the Iberostar Phenicia hotel in Hammamet, at the northeast coast of Tunisia.
  Photo: Alcor

• Energy Storage -International Summit for the Storage of Renewable Energies, Düsseldorf- Efficient storage technologies play a pivotal role in a sustainable energy supply based on renewable energies. This particularly applies to solar and wind energy where the lack of storage techniques is becoming an increasingly limiting factor. The role that energy storage plays in future energy supplies is the topic of “Energy Storage – International Summit for the Storage of Renewable Energies” in March 2012. The conference with accompanying technical exhibition celebrating its premiere on 13 and 14 March 2012 will focus on practical feasibility.
• 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.

• Australia: Vacuum Tube Collector with Overheating Protection-

  Chinese company Hejia Solar Energy presented a new collector type at the All-Energy Australia 2011 trade fair in Melbourne in October 2011. The collector’s automated coverage prevents the system from overheating during daily operation. The participation in the fair was organised jointly by the Chinese manufacturer of the new collector type, Heijia Solar, represented by Chief Engineer Pan Kexue, as well as CEO and owner of Hejia Solar, Wu Guosheng, and the Australian Sales Office OZ Hejia Solar, represented by Director Frank Witowski (middle).
  Photo: Oz Hejia Solar

• Europe: Which Path Takes the Small-capacity Sorption Cooling Industry?-

  Whereas the global market for chillers with small cooling capacities has a volume of around 70 million units annually, the European industry of small-capacity sorption cooling is still in its infancy and is facing many challenges. A newly published study, “Scenario Planning for the European Small Capacity Sorption Cooling Industry”, has identified four different ways the industry could take in a sector whose future development is still hard to predict and depends on several unknowns. The study also helps with strategic recommendations on how the European industry can prepare itself for the possible future in each of these scenarios. The photo shows a selection of small-capacity solar chillers.
  Source: Presentation Green Chiller at ESTEC 2011

• Swiss Bank Sarasin: World Market Reaches 45 GWth in 2011 -

  This week, the Swiss Bank Sarasin published the 12^th edition of their solar industry report, covering all three solar technologies: solar heating and cooling (ST), photovoltaics (PV), and concentrating solar power (CSP). The chapter on solar thermal identifies great differences in the market development of national markets and regions. While the Chinese market continues to shine, many European countries are suffering from decreasing or stagnating markets. Nevertheless, Sarasin predicts a great future, with a global average growth of 12% per year until 2020.

• 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

• Germany/Poland: Hydro Aluminium Pipes as Standard Product soon -

  Norwegian aluminium producer Norsk Hydro ASA announced its first clients to order aluminium tubes for the production of absorbers in a press release at the end of January. In the press release, the corporation named German collector manufacturer Solarbayer GmbH and Polish collector manufacturer Hewalex as the first to do so.
  Photo: Hydro

• 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)-

• 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

• Europe: Solar Keymark Scheme Rules for concentrating solar collectors-

  During the meeting in Paris in October 2011, the Solar Keymark Network has accepted an extension of the Solar Keymark Scheme Rules. In the future, Solar Keymark will be available for both solar water heater stores and concentrating solar collectors. At the same meeting, the Solar Keymark Network has approved the new Annual Collector Energy Output Calculation Tool as a standard measuring tool for all Solar Keymark certified collectors. The energy output calculated with it can from now on be found on all Solar Keymark data sheets.
  Photo: Henry Rosik

• Renexpo 2012, Augsburg- RENEXPO 2012, International Trade Fair for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficient Building & Renovation, will take place from September 27 - 30, 2012 in the Trade Fair Centre in Augsburg, Germany. The RENEXPO is one of the major trade fairs for renewable energy and energy efficiency in Europe. Last year’s exhibition attracted about 15,000 visitors and 350 exhibitors. This year's RENEXPO will again be supported by strong national and international network partners.
• 22. Symposium Thermische Solarenergie, Bad Staffelstein- The 22^th Symposium “Solar Thermal Technologie” organized by the Eastbavarian Institute for Technology Transfer, OTTI e.V. takes place from 9 to 11 May 2012 at the former German monastery Banz, Bad Staffelstein. Main topics are the latest technical developments but also aspects of economy and market policy. Architects will find a forum to discuss problems and experiences in planning and realization of buildings with solar thermal systems. The Symposium is supplemented by an extensive exhibition with the latest developments in the solar industry.
• 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.

• ISH 2013, Frankfurt- The International trade fair for Bathroom, Building, Energy, Air-conditioning Technology and Renewable Energies ISH 2011 will take place from 15th to 19th of March 2011 in Frankfurt/Main, Germany. ISH 2011 brought together 2,355 companies and welcomed 204,000 visitors.
• Workshop: Key Technologies for Future Energy Systems - Solar Heating and Cooling and Energy Storage, Rosenheim- Energy storage is a key technology for the increasing use of renewable energy, particularly to overcome the mismatch between fluctuating renewable energy sources (such as solar or wind) and load profiles. This workshop provides an overview on the latest results and the status of technologies resulting from the related Implementing Agreements of the International Energy Agency (IEA).
• Germany: District Heating Companies encourage Customers to feed in Solar Heat-

  In Hamburg in northern Germany, two district heating providers encourage their customers to supply the companies' networks with heat generated from individually owned solar collectors or other renewable sources. E.On Hanse Wärme offers to store heat for a fee, whereas Hamburg Energie buys renewable heat for a fixed price per kWh.
  Photo: IBA Hamburg

• Intersolar 2012, Munich- Intersolar 2012 will take place from 13 to 15 Juni 2012 in Munich, Germany. The Exhibition is one of the world's largest solar technology trade fairs and the number one meeting point for everyone in the solar industry. Intersolar focuses on the Photovoltaic and Solar Thermal branches. In 2010 Intersolar Europe has once again posted record figures. Compared with 2010, the number of exhibitors has risen from 1,880 to 2,286 and the number of visitors has gone up from 72,000 to 76,738. The accompanying Intersolar Conference will be held from 11 to 14 June 2012.
• 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

• Solar Summit 2011, Freiburg-

  The Solar Summit Freiburg 2011 is an International Conference on Highlights and Trends in Solar Energy. From 14 to 15 November 2011 it gives a comprehensive overview of latest achievements and state of the art of all major technologies of solar energy conversion. Solar Summits Freiburg is a series of international solar conferences, taking place for the fourth time in Freiburg, Germany. While the first set of conferences was each dedicated to a special topic, this year for the first time the Solar Summit covers recent achievements in all major topics of solar energy research, market and policies.

• Winners of the Solarthermalworld.org Quiz 2011-

  Second round of the solarthermalworld.org quiz: The winners of 2011 were announced at the end of the ESTEC 2011 conference in Marseilles, France, on 21 October. The photo shows the three participants who were able to answer the ten questions in the shortest time (from left): Jan Knaack (BSW Solar), Anja Loose (ITW Stuttgart) and Olivier Drücke (Eclareon).
  Photo: Stephanie Banse

• Trainenergy Project. Module 9. Renewable Energy Systems (2011)-

  The Trainenergy project ran from September 2009 to September 2011, with the objective to produce a training programme about the EU Energy Performance of Building and the Energy End-Use Efficiency and Energy Services Directives for tradesmen in the construction industry. The project was run in Ireland, UK, France, Germany, Spain and Denmark. This module presents the best renewable sources that offer heating at virtually zero carbon emissions, solar water heating being the first technology to be assessed.

• 1st SMEThermal - Solar Thermal Materials, Equipment and Technology Conference, Berlin-

  The European solar thermal markets are growing at high rates altogether. During the last three years alone, the average annual growth rate finally settled at an impressive 35 % margin. And, dozens of new tanks and collector manufactures opened their doors in the last two years.
  
  This rapid increase in all areas of the solar thermal industry presents a big challenge for all of its market players – component manufacturers as well as suppliers of material and machinery.
  

• 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.

• Finland: In-line Coating Machine for complete Direct-Flow Absorbers-

  A full aluminium direct-flow absorber with a newly developed coating from Finland won one of the three Solar Thermal Intersolar Awards at the Intersolar 2011 in Munich, Germany. The photo shows the respective in-line coating machine by Finnish company Savo-Solar Oy. In cooperation with the Danish company Hydro Aluminium Precision Tubing, both companies were able to impress the jury with the new developed “Savo-Solar Al-MPE” absorber. The other two prizes went to Vetter Gesellschaft für Medizinische Datentechnik, Bio- und Umwelttechnik mbH, Germany, for developing a parabolic trough collector which opens up a diverse range of installation possibilities, and to Swedish company Absolicon Solar Concentrator for a PVT collector combining solar power generation with the use of solar heat.
  Photo: Savo-Solar Oy

• 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).

• May in Europe: Four Solar Thermal Events Within One Month Alone-

  There are a lot of places in Europe during the month of May where you can listen to highly regarded solar thermal speakers. Four solar thermal conferences will then take place in three different countries: Germany, Italy and Poland.

  Solar thermal symposium

  6^th to 8^th of May 2009 in Staffelstein, Southern Germany

• Which are the main market drivers?- Generally speaking, you can differentiate between naturally growing markets and incentive driven markets. In the former, low-cost solar water heaters are already an economic alternative for households to produce hot water instead of using fossil fuels or electricity. Some examples are: China, which is the biggest solar thermal market in the world, Cyprus which has one of the highest solar thermal capacities in operation per capita in the world, and Turkey, which is the third biggest market in the world.
  
• Which are the big players of the industry?- You have fast-growing independent producers here which focus on the production of solar thermal components only. Some of these companies are more than 30 years old, like the German Wagner & Co, the Israeli Chromagen and the US-American Sun-Earth. But the global market leaders today are newer firms like Greenonetec in Austria, the biggest flat-plate collector manufacturer in the world, which was founded in 1991 (turnover 2008: 117 million Euro). Find the ranking of the biggest flat-plate collector manufacturers here.
  
• 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.
• Sweden: Feeding Solar Heat into the Grid-

  In Sweden, it is not uncommon to feed solar heat into district heating networks. “After a bit of persuasion, most district heating companies will agree to buy the heat, but the prices they pay for it will differ a lot,” Gunnar Lennermo says. Lennermo works as a consultant for Energianalys and helps his customers with planning and constructing large solar installations.
  Source: Energianalys

• Potential Market and Practical Experience with Solar Process Heat in Germany (2011)-

  This is a presentation made by Harald Drück during the International Conference on Process Heat of March 2011 in Austria. The presentation includes data about the use of solar heat for industrial processes (SHIP) in Germany with concrete examples of companies like Steinbach and Vollmann, Alanod, the Hofmühl brewery, among others.

• Canada: District Heating with 90 % Solar Fraction-

  As Bruce Sibbitt, Engineer at Natural Resources Canada (NRCan), announced during his presentation at the Solar World Congress in Kassel, Germany, in September, the solar district heating system at the Drake Landing Solar Community has - in its fourth year in operation - almost reached the planned solar fraction of 90 %. In addition to borehole heat storage of 34,000 m³, the system is equipped with two short-term storage tanks, which have a capacity of 120 m³ of water each.
  Photo: Natural Resources Canada

• 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

• USA: Big Market for big Systems-

  In October, German company PAW GmbH & Co. KG is going to introduce its big solar stations to the US market. Sales Manager Lars Bergmann has realised a trend towards big solar stations around the world, but more than anywhere in the US: turnover for the medium-size systems which PAW has already been selling in the States doubled last year - figures Jens-Peter Meyer was able to confirm in his market overview in Sun & Wind Energy 6/2011.

• China: Linuo celebrates 10-year anniversary-

  At the beginning of July, Shandong Linuo Paradigma Co. Ltd celebrated ten “golden years” of a successful Chinese-German partnership between the Chinese corporation and the German Ritter Group. Klaus Taafel (right), Chairman of the Board at Linuo Paradigma, cut the anniversary cake together with two of the company's production workers who have birthday on the same day as Linuo.
  Photo: Linuo Paradigma

• Poland: Sunex to go public by September -

  Becoming a publicly traded company by September: the first step of Sunex' strategy to enter new markets and invest in a factory outside the country. The solar collector manufacturer will be listed on New Connect, the Warsaw stock market for small enterprises. In August, Sunex already sold 0.76 % of its stocks to investors through private offers, gaining about PLN 0.55 million (EUR 0.13 million). “We have decided to enter New Connect to let the market give us a valuation of our company before we get listed on the main trading floor of the Warsaw Stock Exchange (WSE),” the company’s President, Romuald Kalyciok (see photo), explains. Further share sales are planned for 2012.
  Photo: Puls Biznesu

• 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.

• Germany: Cost Optimisation in the Collector Industry-

  German collector manufacturers have come under high pressure: Copper prices are still on the rise, but the German market is not picking up. Replacing the copper material in the absorber and using a plastic tray instead of an aluminium frame are two of the cost-saving measures the producers have implemented to get sales margins under control. Two German collector manufacturers - STI Solar- Technologie- International and Bosch Thermotechnik - presented collectors with ultrasonic-welded aluminium absorbers and polymer trays on the fairs during the first half of 2011. The photo shows the STI collector, which has an ultrasonic-welded aluminium plate and an aluminium pipe absorber, at the ISH in March.
  Photo: Bärbel Epp

• New Zealand: SolarCity receives carboNZero Certificate-

  SolarCity New Zealand Limited has been building, retailing and installing solar hot water systems for 30 years. To receive the carboNZero certification, the company has measured its greenhouse gas emissions pursuant to ISO 14064-1:2006 and has pledged to reduce them further. The carboNZero programme was established in 2001 by Landcare Research New Zealand Limited, a research institute owned by the New Zealand government. Since a merger with collector manufacturer and system supplier Solar Technology Systems Ltd in 2010, SolarCity has become New Zealand’s largest solar company and has, meanwhile, begun to offer off-grid and grid-connected PV systems as well.
  Photo: SolarCity

• Ukraine: “A Collector is trendy and shows a certain Lifestyle”-

  With an estimated market volume of 10,000 m² in 2009, the solar thermal market in the Ukraine is still in its infancy. The two main customer groups are the new middle class and the tourism sector. By interviewing local collector manufacturers, German agency solrico analysed the potential of the Ukraine and its barriers to market development. The map shows the sites of the solar thermal manufacturers that took part in the survey.
  Map: German Energy Agency 2009

• Best Practice Regulation for Solar Thermal -

  This study is a tool to support the design of effective regulations to promote the use of solar thermal heating and cooling (ST) and to reduce administrative barriers, with the aim of helping policy makers at the local, regional, national and European levels to design policies most suitable to accelerate the growth of ST, as needed to reach the EU‟s binding target of a 20% renewable share by 2020.

• India: Innovative Solar Cooling System at Solar Energy Centre-

  The Solar Energy Centre in Haryana State can now score with a new and innovative solar air conditioning demonstration system: Developed by Thermax, one of India’s leading waste heat recovery and cooling manufacturers, the system with a 100 kW cooling capacity has an integrated triple-effect Vapour Absorption Chiller (VAC) and solar parabolic concentrators. Both components were developed locally through a 15-month cooperative application research by the Advanced Research Centre for Powder Metallurgy and New Materials (ARCI), the Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur (IITK) - both from India -, and the German ISE Fraunhofer Institute.
  Photo: Jaideep Malaviya

• Finland / Germany: T-Drill presented at Intersolar Europe-

  Munich's Intersolar in June was the first-ever German event at which Finnish company T-Drill O presented its machinery. With a focus on pipe processing for solar thermal absorbers, the company offers T-Drill machines, as well as pipe cutting, pipe end closing and end forming machines. The photo shows Timo Lehtonen, Sales Director at T-Drill, presenting the main component of a T-Drill machine: the tool that can drill and collar during a single production step.
  Photo: Bärbel Epp

• 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.

• Poland: various commercial Grant Programmes -

  By the end of 2010, the total surface area of solar collectors in Poland reached 655,000 m². Newly installed collector area amounted to 146,000 m², roughly 2,000 m² more than in 2009. Over the next years, the number of new solar thermal installations is thought to increase significantly because of various grants at the national and local level: The local incentive programme in Szczawnica in southern Poland has already helped in setting up more than 1,500 collectors in households (see photo).
  Photo: szczawnica.pl

• Thailand: Solar Process Heat in Leather Factory awarded-

  On behalf of the Thai Ministry of Energy, German engineering company Aschoff Solar has been awarded by the Department of Alternative Energy Development and Efficiency (DEDE) for the company's solar thermal installation at the Sadesa leather factory in Sena. Bernd Jueckmann (left), Sales Manager at Aschoff Solar, and Carsten Aschoff, Managing Director of Aschoff Solar, received the award from the hands of Prapon Kitichantaropas (right), Director of the Solar Energy Bureau at DEDE, during a conference held in Pattaya, Thailand, on 8 July 2011.
  Photo: Aschoff Solar

• ESTEC 2011 in France: Early Bird Registration extended-

  The early bird registration for the European Solar Thermal Energy Conference (estec 2011) has been extended to 15 July. You can save around EUR 100 if you sign up for the 2-day conference before this date. It will take place in Marseilles, France, on 20 and 21 October 2011. Fees are lower for members of the European Solar Thermal Industry Federation (ESTIF) or the French Solar Association ENERPLAN.
  Photo: ESTIF

• South Africa: New Collector Factory commissioned-

  South African company Ikhwezi Solar (Pty) Ltd announced in mid-July that its new solar thermal flat plate manufacturing plant has become fully operational. The factory's annual production capacity is 22,000 collectors, which are manufactured on a single shift basis. Before starting its own collector production, the company based in East London, at the southeast coast of South Africa, had specialised in supplying and installing solar thermal collectors for both South Africa's commercial and domestic market. “We decided to capitalise on the momentum created in South Africa, with the focus having moved much to renewable energy,” Executive Director of Ikhwezi Solar, Pieter Bosch, explains.
  Photo: Ikhwezi Solar

• UAE: Dubai with two Greek Solar Thermal Installations above 1,000 m²-

  Greek manufacturer Sole has already completed its second large-scale solar thermal project in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The company installed a 1,026 m² (0.72 MWth) solar thermal system at the newly constructed Dubai Sports Complex, which provides the sports facilities with hot sanitary and swimming pool water. The photo shows Sole´s Managing Director, Vangelis Lamaris, testing the stability of the collector field.
  Photo: Sole

• SMEThermal 2012, Berlin- The international conference SMEThermal is held in Berlin on 7 February 2012 already for the third time. The one-day event deals explicitly with process optimization, automation and new materials in the tank and collector industry.  SMEThermal 2011 was a great success. 160 decision makers from 22 different countries met in Berlin to discuss the latest trends and technical challenges in the industry.
• 12. Forum Solarpraxis, Berlin- The 12^th Forum Solarpraxis will, following its well-proven approach, bring the players of the solar industry into contact with representatives from politics, the financial world, the press and the industry's suppliers. One of Europe's leading industry conferences will offer relevant and applicable talks on the current non-technical issues facing the sector, covering all forms of solar energy capture.
  
• 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

• Argentina: Market Situation and Barrier Analysis -

  Björn Nienborg, researcher at the German institute Fraunhofer ISE, has carried out a survey among solar collector manufacturers and importers in Argentina as part of his Master's study “Renewable Energy Management” at the University of Freiburg. His recently published “Solar Thermal Water Heaters in Argentina” gives a status report on the Argentine solar thermal market, as well as its manufacturers and suppliers. It is available as a detailed version in Spanish and a shorter one in English. The photo shows a 20 m² thermosiphon installations on the roof of a seminary in San Salvador de Jujuy, Argentina.
  Photo: Björn Nienborg

• Singapore: Solar Desalination Unit incorporated into a Container-

  At the beginning of July, memsys clearwater distribution Pte. Ltd. and Nanyang Technological University presented a new desalination technology at the Singapore International Water Week. Besides several industrial applications, the small and mobile technology, which uses solar thermal panel energy for the vaporisation process, can also be used during disaster relief efforts. The unit is driven by solar energy alone - both thermal and PV – and can be placed in a 20-foot shipping container. The photo shows the demonstration plant at Marina Barrage, Singapore.
  Photo: memsys