Italy

• 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

• TramStore21 Report: Building Sustainable and Efficient Tram Depots for Cities in the 21st Century – Solar Thermal Systems (2012)-

  This report compares experiences of solar thermal technology for the five benchmark tram depots of the TramStore21 project. For the project, five European partners – from the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Belgium, France and Italy – have worked since 2008 at pooling existing best practices and know-how for the construction of four benchmark tram depots.

• Klimaenergy 2012, Bolzano- From September 20 to 22, 2012, the exhibition district of Bolzano will welcome the fifth edition of “Klimaenergy”, the tradefair and congress devoted to the commercial and public use of renewable energy. Among others the tradeshow covers the categories: biofuels, biogas, biomass, cogeneration and regeneration, financing, fuel cells, geothermal, photovoltaic, solar heating and cooling, wind and water power.
• 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.

• CSP Feed-in Tariffs Guide (2011)-

  Written to support CSP Today’s 2011 concentrated solar power (CSP) event in Seville, this report provides an overview of the regulatory incentives schemes that exist to support the concentrated solar thermal industry around the world. It summarises the incentives and targets for CSP in nine countries: USA, South Africa, India, Spain, Morocco, Italy, Greece, and Portugal. For each, the feed-in tariffs, tax credits, or subsidies are specified and explained by different industry experts.

  Author: CSP Today

  Year: 2011

• 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

• Italy: Political Frame Condition Update-

  The change at the helm of government in Italy has already had some positive effects on the solar thermal sector. The tax credit extensions were confirmed earlier than in the years before. At the beginning of December, the government approved the extension until 31 December 2012 under the current conditions. If they had not done so, the tax reduction would have expired at the end of 2011. According to the current regulations – in place since January 2011 – residential customers can deduct 55 % of the investment costs from their income tax during a period of 10 years.

• Italy: Law 28 lays Foundation for Renewable Heat Feed-in Tariff- Italy is among the countries which have declared ambitious targets for the solar heating and cooling sector in its National Renewable Energy Action Plan. The administration made the first step towards reaching those aims by implementing Law Number 28, approved on 3 March (see the attached document in Italian).

  The law includes several important items with regard to the solar thermal sector:

• Solar Thermal Energy Plant Applied to District Heating (2011)-

  This is a presentation by Ing. Franco Buscaroli and Ing. Roberto Amidei from AIRU, the Italian Association of Urban Heating, made during the International Solar District Heating Workshop that took place in Graz, Austria, in March 2011.

• Concentrating Solar Power: Global Outlook 09-

  This 2009 report looks into the global outlook of concentrating solar power (CSP). The report first looks into the different CSP technologies and makes a comparison based on the advantages and disadvantages. The report also provides an overview of the CSP development by region. For certain countries per region a more detailed assessment is provided. In particular, the potential of the Mediterranean and the MENA region is being assessed.

• Energethica 2012, Torino- ENERGETHICA, Renewable and Sustainable Energy Trade Fair combining a trade-fair with authoritative congresses, aimed at providing cultural awareness, as well as commercial. The trade fair will provide specific areas dedicated to energy production from renewable resources as well as areas for solutions for controlling energy and water consumption, with special attention on economic savings and environmental sustainability. Energethica 2012 will take place from 24 to 26 May in Torino.
• 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.

• Spain: Export Helps Solar Thermal Industry Survive-

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

• 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

• Portugal: Huge Solar Potential in Lisbon’s Historical Downtown-

  The historical downtown area of the Portuguese capital, known as Baixa Pombalina, has a collector area potential of 100,000 m². This is the result of the study “Carta do Potencial de Integração de Sistemas Solares na Baixa Pombalina”, which was developed within European project ProSTO - Best Practice Implementation of Solar Thermal Obligations - coordinated by Lisbon’s Municipal Energy and Environment Agency, Lisboa E-Nova, in cooperation with the city council and IGESPAR (Portuguese Institute for the Management of Architectural and Archaeological Heritage). The photo shows the Arco da Rua Augusta – the entrance to Baixa Pombalina.
  Photo: Wikipedia

• European Solar Days: Date Set for 2012 Campaign-

  The next edition of the European Solar Days – a campaign of national events aimed at promoting the use of solar energy – will be held from 1 to 13 May 2012. The initiative now includes more than 20 participants from 16 countries, who gathered on 7 and 8 November in Prague for the second European Solar Days Annual Conference. The meeting consisted of the internal project meeting with the partners and the Annual Conference, also attended by two guest countries. A total of 23 conference participants were responsible for evaluating the 2011 event and planning the 2012 campaign.
  Photo: ESTIF

• 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.

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

• SAIE 2012, Bologna- SAIE 2012 will take place from 18 to 21 October in Bolgna, Italy. Since 2010 the international building exhibition has a new format and offers new services and new opportunities. SAIE brings together various players in order to offer integrated solutions for a changing sector, assuring greater attention to the environment as well as greater energy efficiency, safety and provision of services.
• Solarexpo 2012, Verona- Solarexpo, the international exhibition and conference on renewable energy and distributed generation, is one of Italy's leading trade fairs dedicated to sustainable energy and the green economy. Solarexpo's 13th edition will take place from 9 to 11 May in Verona. Alongside the exhibition, Solarexpo will offer a rich programme of conferences, seminars, training courses and other special events: from solar, wind, geothermal and bioenergy to cogeneration and trigeneration, from technology transfer projects in developing countries to green jobs and more.
• Termoidraulica Clima Ecoenergie 2013, Padua- Termoidraulica Clima Ecoenergie reaches its 18th edition when it takes place at Padua Fairground from 10 to 13 April 2013. The exposition offers fitters, wholesalers, retailers, designers, builders, architects, interior designers, managers of the corporations and user companies a complete overview of all the last novelties in the hydraulic plant design sector.
• 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

• 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

• 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

• 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.

• 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

• 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

• CIS-IT 2012, Rome- From its very first staging in February 2009, CIS-IT has become one of the biggest international meetings for the Italian solar industry. With an average of over 400 participants, the conference is an important appointment for the solar thermal and photovoltaic industry. The CIS-IT 2012 will again feature many exciting issues and attract a high number of key decision makers from the solar industry, finance, politics, science, media and other stakeholders interested in the latest developments of solar markets and policies.
• 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

• Italy: Tax Credits extended but under worse Conditions-

  Photovoltaic and solar thermal systems competing for roof space in Italy's residential sector: Solar electricity is booming, and the 55 % tax reduction for solar thermal installations was just extended for another 12 months. However, the conditions for it will not be as favourable as this year.
  Photo: G.M.P. engineering

• “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

• Market Report for Enlarging Solar Thermal Systems in Multi-Family-Houses and Hotels in Europe (2007)-

  Solarge is a European co-operation project promoting the installation of collective solar thermal systems (CSTS) with collector areas of 30m2 and larger. The project looks in particular to multi-family buildings, hotels, public and social buildings. This report, which has been revised in 2007, compiles and assesses data relative to 8 national CSTS markets.

  The research looked, among other points, to the level of development of the national solar thermal market and to what extent the political and legislative framework hampers or promotes the development of CSTS.

• Solar Thermal Heating User Guide (2007)-

• 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.

• ISH 2011: Solar Trends in the Heating Industry -

  The ISH is becoming increasingly international. At the beginning of this March, the world´s largest trade fair for bathroom, building, energy and climate technology in Frankfurt, Germany, has counted significantly more international visitors than ever before. 35 % of the 204,000 trade visitors came from abroad (2009: 29 %), whereas the total number of visitors almost stagnated (+1.5 %). The ISH is the trade fair of the European heating industry. The five largest corporations - Bosch Thermotechnik, Vaillant, Viessmann from Germany, BDR Thermea, Netherlands, and Ariston from Italy - dominated Hall 8 with huge stands. Solarthermalworld.org presents some of the trends it discovered in the solar thermal product portfolio of Europe's heating business.
  Photo: ISH 2011
  
  

• 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

• 1,000 Solar Keymark Licenses for Collectors: among them 7 % from China -

  Solar Keymark is a very broadly accepted label on the European solar thermal market. More than 1,000 collector certificates have been issued since the introduction of the certification system in 2003.
  Source: www.solarkeymark.org

• MTS: International Player from Italy- Solar thermal factory in Italy: Flat-plate collectors for the MTS Group’s business are produced at this new site in central Italy. Photo: MTS Group
  

• 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

• Launch of ISOL Navigator: Asia moves up, while Europe lags behind -

  The ISOL Navigator has been launched at the Intersolar Europe in Munich at the 8th of June. The international study presents the current and future market development in 16 key solar heating and cooling countries. The ISOL Navigator is based on the “ISOL Index”, an international business climate index developed by German agency solrico at the beginning of 2010. This ISOL index is a point-based indicator (ranging from 0 to 100 points) showing the satisfaction of solar thermal manufacturers and system suppliers with current and expected market development. Company values are averaged to obtain country and regional indices.
  Figure: solrico

• Italy: Thin Piping Insulation saves Transport Costs -

  Thin is practical: This can be said about the new pre-insulated NanoSun2 pipe presented by Italian company Aktarus Group Srl at the heating fair ISH in Germany in March. The stainless steel piping is insulated with silica aerogel reinforced by fibre glass. The insulation material is produced in the US by Aspen Aerogels Inc. Thanks to a low thermal conductivity and a thickness of 5 mm, the insulation provides better protection than the common EPDM with a thickness of 13 to 14 mm.
  Photo: Bärbel Epp

• 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.

• SAIE 2011, Bologna-

  SAIE 2011 will take place from 5 to 8 October in Bologna, Italy. Since 2010 the international building exhibition has a new format and offers new services and new opportunities. SAIE brings together various players in order to offer integrated solutions for a changing sector, assuring greater attention to the environment as well as greater energy efficiency, safety and provision of services.

  
  The ehibition consists of three Theme Areas:

• Klimaenergy 2011, Bolzano- From September 22 to 24, 2011, the exhibition district of Bolzano will welcome the forth edition of “Klimaenergy”, the tradefair and congress devoted to the commercial and public use of renewable energy. Among others the tradeshow covers the categories: biofuels, biogas, biomass, cogeneration and regeneration, financing, fuel cells, geothermal, photovoltaic, solar heating and cooling, wind and water power.
• Termoidraulica Clima Ecoenergie 2011, Padua - Termoidraulica Clima Ecoenergie reaches its 17^th edition and it is renewed by staging at Padua Fairground from 30^th March to 2^nd April 2011 the evolution of hydrothermalsanitary plant engineering  and air-conditioning systems in obedience to energy saving and eco-sustainability. A new tone that would like to focus the attention not so much on the product as on its different application spheres: residential systems, systems for service sector and industrial systems.
• 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

• 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

• ENERGETHICA 2011, Firenze - ENERGETHICA, Renewable and Sustainable Energy Trade Fair combining a trade-fair with authoritative congresses, aimed at providing cultural awareness, as well as commercial. The trade fair will provide specific areas dedicated to energy production from renewable resources as well as areas for solutions for controlling energy and water consumption, with special attention on economic savings and environmental sustainability. To distinguish its offer and adapt it to the territory’s needs, Energethica this year is doubling its offer with two fairs.
• ENERGETHICA 2011, Torino - ENERGETHICA, Renewable and Sustainable Energy Trade Fair combining a trade-fair with authoritative congresses, aimed at providing cultural awareness, as well as commercial. The trade fair will provide specific areas dedicated to energy production from renewable resources as well as areas for solutions for controlling energy and water consumption, with special attention on economic savings and environmental sustainability. To distinguish its offer and adapt it to the territory’s needs, Energethica this year is doubling its offer with two fairs.
• Solarexpo 2011, Verona- Solarexpo, the international exhibition and conference on renewable energy and distributed generation, is one of Italy's leading trade fairs dedicated to sustainable energy and the green economy. Solarexpo's 12^th edition will take place from 4 – 6 May in Verona. Alongside the exhibition, Solarexpo will offer a rich programme of conferences, seminars, training courses and other special events: from solar, wind, geothermal and bioenergy to cogeneration and trigeneration, from technology transfer projects in developing countries to green jobs and more.
• Mostra Convegno Expocomfort (MCE) 2012, Milano- Mostra Convegno Expocomfort (MCE) 2012 will take place from 27 – 30 March 2012 at Fiera Milano Exhibition Centre. Innovation, comfort, attention to energy efficiency and saving issues will be the main topics of the four MCE’s areas: Heating, Cooling, Water and Energy.
• SAIE 2010, Bologna- In 2010 the international building exhibition SAIE will have a new format and will offer new services and new opportunities to meet the 170,000 industry professionals in attendance each year in order to discuss building solutions, projects and technologies for building architecture. SAIE brings together various players in order to offer integrated solutions for a changing sector, assuring greater attention to the environment as well as greater energy efficiency, safety and provision of services.
• Klimaenergy 2010, Bolzano- From September 23 to 25, 2010, the exhibition district of Bolzano will welcome the third edition of “Klimaenergy”, the tradefair and congress devoted to the commercial and public use of renewable energy. Among others the tradeshow covers the categories: biofuels, biogas, biomass, cogeneration and regeneration, financing, fuel cells, geothermal, photovoltaic, solar heating and cooling, wind and water power.
• 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:

• Renewables for Heating and Cooling (2007)- This document, prepared by the International Energy Agency, comes as a follow-up of the 2006 seminar “Renewable heating and cooling – from RD&D to deployment technology and policy” aimed at exploring guidelines and policy initiatives to boost technology development and market deployment for renewable heating and cooling (REHC).
• CIS-IT 2011, Rome - Following the tradition of the Solarpraxis conferences in Germany and Spain, CIS-IT 2011 is a conference covering photovoltaics and solar thermal issues. The 3^rd edition of CIS-IT in Rom will again become a major appointment for those doing solar business in Italy and across its borders. This event provides the opportunity to meet key players from the industry, expand your business networks, collect first-hand information, and gain invaluable insights into the development of the Italian solar market.
  
• 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.

• The Present and Future Use of Solar Thermal Energy as a Primary Source of Energy (2005)-

  This document from the International Energy Agency (2005) covers all aspects of solar thermal energy Different solar thermal technologies covered includes passive solar architecture; solar cooling; district heating; concentrating solar troughs, towers, and dishes; the solar thermal market.

  It discusses the current market and policies, as well as worldwide potential of solar thermal energy for the future.

  The paper was written by Cédric Philibert.

• Solar Thermal in Lazio Region (2010)- This report, produced within the ProSTO project, presents solar thermal energy in the Italian region of Lazio. The document outlines the Italian legislative framework on energy efficiency and the use of renewable energy sources and explains how to implement a solar thermal ordinances at local level. It also details how to accompany the implementation of solar thermal ordinances with flanking measures such as financial incentives and communication activities. Read document below (Only available in Italian)
• International Comparison of Warranty Periods granted by Collector Manufacturers-

  “How long is the warranty period of your flat plate or your vacuum tube collector?” This question was posed as part of a global solar thermal industry survey to 300 collector manufacturers from 40 different countries. Figure: solrico

• European Solar Days Kick-off Today-

  The second European Solar Days are celebrated from 15 to 22 May with more than 500.000 citizens participating in 7.000 events in 15 European countries.

• Solar Energy Activities in IEA Countries 2005 - This 2005 report on solar energy activities in IEA (International Energy Agency) Solar Heating and Cooling Programme (SHC) countries provides an overview of national activities and key trends of a total of 13 countries. Detailed information is offered on national solar activities, notably on the status of government policies, funding levels, R&D, technology advances, and commercial development. Each report further concludes with an outlook for solar over the next five years in that country.
• QualiCert Newsletter - December 2009- The first edition of the QualiCert Project Newsletter
  Newsletter N1 -
• Solar Thermal Ordinances: State of Art in Europe (2008)-

  This report, from 2008, produced by Intelligent Energy Europe, and integrated in the ProSTO project (Best Practice Implementation of Solar Thermal Obligations) makes an assessment of existing solar thermal ordinances (STO), using a total of 11 case studies in different countries such as Italy, Spain, Germany, Ireland and Portugal.

• ON-RE Report: Energy Innovation in Municipal Building Codes (2009)-

  The Italian National Observatory on Energy Saving Building Regulations (ONRE) released this report in 2009 in co-operation with Legambiente and CRESME. European Directives like the RES 2020 or the energy efficiency in buildings have pushed local authorities to create new legislation to comply with the different targets set in the directives.

• Market Report for Small and Medium-Sized Solar Air-Conditioning Appliances Analysis of Market Potential-

  This Report focuses on the 8 participating countries’ markets to the SOLAIR project and provides a market review and analysis of small and medium-sized solar air-conditioning (SAC) appliances.

  This Report begins with a comparison with all countries markets’ status quo that is presented in a very digestible format of graphs and key data. The main section of the Report looks in depth at each country and provides an overview based on the following issues:

• Difficult Task: Implementing Solar Building Codes in Italy -

  Orientation in the solar obligation jungle in Italy: The website of the EU-Project ProSTO gives advice and support to municipalities in Italy and other European countries to successfully implement solar building codes.

• Study on Solar Thermal Municipalities in Italy-

  The Italian “Renewable Municipalities Report 2009” is very likely the most comprehensive European study about renewable activities on a municipality level. It lists 2,996 Italian municipalities that are currently using solar thermal technology.
  Figure: Legambiente

• Solar-powered mobile sanitary Container for United Nations-

  Mobile sanitary container for trouble spots around the world: A thermosiphon system from Australia's collector manufacturer Solahart supplies the emergency accommodation with hot water by the sun. Photo: Solahart

• Concentrating Solar Power for the Mediterranean Region-

  This 2005 report assesses the data that is needed in order for strategic development and to achieve long-term energy and water security in the wide Mediterranean Region. A major part of the study focuses on concentrating solar thermal power generation since it is considered by far the largest available renewable energy resource in the EU-MENA region. 

• An Overview of CSP in Europe, North Africa and the Middle East (2008)-

  This document from 2008 gives a comprehensive overview of CSP development in Europe, North Africa and the Middle East. The paper first looks into the key drivers and key inhibitors that impact the growth of CSP. Particular attention is given to the cost factor of CSP such as initial investment costs and the operating & maintenance costs.

• The Solar Thermal Electricity Industry’s Proposal for the Mediterranean Solar Plan (2009)- Following the the contribution from ESTELA (European Solar Thermal Electricity Association) to the European Commission’s Strategic Energy Technology Plan, ESTELA has also issued its proposal for the Mediterranean Solar Plan (MSP). One of the main goals of the MSP is to contribute to the creation of a Euro-Mediterranean regional renewable electricity market. In addition, the MSP will also help the economic development of Southern Mediterranean countries by creating a new source of revenue.
• Solar Power from Europe’s Sun Belt (2009)-

  This 2009 document is the contribution from ESTELA (European Solar Thermal Electricity Association) to the European Commission’s Strategic Energy Technology Plan. The report gives a good overview of the strategic benefits of focusing on solar thermal and connects it with its socio-economic benefits.

• Solar Heat Used Rarely in Industrial Processes- If solar heat likes to gain more importance in the future, it should not ignore the industrial sector. Task 33 of the International Energy Agency's (IEA) Solar Heating & Cooling programme performed an analysis of industrial energy needs and looked for the potential of solar heat within the sector. The Task’s scientists found a huge potential for energy from the sun. The industrial sector makes up about 28 % of total primary energy consumption in the European Union. A significant share of the heat used in industrial processes is used at low or medium temperatures.
• Overall Cap for Tax Reductions in Italy-

  Dark clouds are beginning to appear over the prospects of the solar thermal market in Italy. On the 29^th November 2008, the Italian government published a temporary law for modifying the 55% tax reduction that has driven the solar thermal market in recent years. The temporary law has to be approved by the Italian parliament within 60 days, otherwise it expires.

• HIGH-COMBI Project - High Solar Fraction Heating & Cooling Systems with Combination of Innovative Components & Methods (2007)-

  This document provides information on building types and climates of the countries involved in the EU project HighCombi. The HighCombi project was launched in 2007 with a two-year duration and aims at the development and demonstration of solar thermal heating and cooling systems with high solar fraction. Co-funded by the European Commission, within the Sixth Framework Programme (2002-2006), the project consortium involves twelve partners from six European countries (Greece, Spain, Italy, Romania, Germany and Austria).

• energethica, Genoa- Trade fair for renewable and sustainable energy attracted 351 exhibitors and 14.383 visitors last year - but covering a wide range of renewable technologies.
• 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.

• Italy: Cap for Tax Reductions Removed-

  The solar community can breathe a sigh of relief. The sun is shining again over the solar thermal market in Italy. The temporary law of the government from the 29^th of November (Decreto Legge 185/08) was approved by the Italian Parliament only after major changes were made on January 27^th (see article “Overall Cap for Tax Reductions in Italy”). The law is applicable for deductions granted after 1^st of January 2009.
  

• Assessment of the World Bank/GEF Strategy for the Market Development of Concentrating Solar Thermal Power (2006)-

  This report from 2006 gives a detailed assessment on the approach of GEF towards concentrating solar power development. In particular it looks into the GEF's Operational Programme 7 (OP 7) which deals with the development of technologies with low greenhouse gas emissions that are not yet commercial, but which show promise of becoming so in the future.

• Process Heat Collectors - State of the Art within Task 33/IV-

  This document provides an overview into the types of process heat technology describing the technology in easy-to-understand terms, and provides information on their stage in development.

  Technologies covered are:

  Advanced Flat-plate Collectors
  Evacuated Tube Collectors
  CPC Collectors
  Parabolic Trough Collectors
  Linear Concentrating Fresnel Collectors
  Concentrating Collectors with Stationary Reflector

  The second section of the document provides an overview of installations and their operation.

• Solar Cooling: The Time is Ripe for Small-Scale Devices-

  Solar cooling system at Bachler Austria: 40 m² of flat-plate collectors drive an absorption chiller of the type Chillii PSC10 Photo: Solarnext

• Overview on Worldwide Installed Solar Cooling Systems (2007)-

  This report was submitted by the Institute for Renewable Energy and EURAC Research of Bolzano, Italy in 2007. It is an overview on worldwide installed solar assisted cooling systems.

• Solar Thermal Markets in Europe 2009-

  This 8-page report from ESTIF from 2009 provides information on the key national markets with 2008 data on newly installed collectors based on area and capacity.

  It states that the European market has grown by 60% in 2008.

  Download document here or read it here.

   

• Solarexpo, Verona-

  Solarexpo, the international exhibition and conference on renewable energy and distributed generation, is one of Italy's leading trade fairs dedicated to sustainable energy and the green economy.

• European Solar Days- The next European Solar Days will be celebrated from 1 to 16 May 2010 in 16 European countries: Austria, France, Germany, Italy, Portugal, Slovenia , Spain, Switzerland, Denmark , Norway, Netherlands, UK, Belgium, Hungary, Poland and Sweden. The two weeks event is coordinated by the European Solar Thermal Industry Federation (ESTIF) in close co-operation with the European Photovoltaic Industry Association (EPIA) and supported by 24 organisations at a national and European level.
• EU Project: Introducing Solar District Heating to the Market-

  18 experts from twelve different institutions and associations met in Stuttgart, Germany, to launch the EU project SDHtake-off. This team is to develop and introduce a new approach and new instruments for a Europe-wide market introduction of solar district heating.
  Photo: Solites

• Solar Coatings: Tinox Gets a Strong Partner- During the solar fair Intersolar 2008 in June, the German-based MAGE Industrie Holding AG and the Italian-based Almeco Group announced the merger of their coating activities in the solar thermal business field. The combination of the Almeco Group and the MAGE subsidiary Tinox GmbH brings together a significant provider of aluminium surfaces with an established specialist in copper absorber coatings. “At our Bernburg site we have one of the most technologically advanced manufacturing plants in the world.
• Sicily Invites the Solar Air-Conditioning Sector-

  “The positive trend of solar cooling applications is growing stronger”. This is the message of Professor Marco Beccali from the University in Palermo, who is Conference Chairman of the 3^rd International Conference Solar Air-Conditioning in Sicily, Italy. Photo: University of Palermo 

• CIS-IT 2010, Rome- From its very first staging in February 2009, CIS-IT has become a major appointment for those making solar business in Italy and across its borders. With 450 participants and good media coverage, the conference was a success beyond expectation. Nobody can say today how the global economy and the solar industry will look like one year later. But two things are certain: momentous develop-ments will take place in Italy and worldwide; and the long term perspectives of the solar industry will be brighter than ever.
• International Technology Collaboration and Climate Change Mitigation - Case Study 1: CSP technologies (2004)-

  This case study from 2004 was prepared by the OECD and IEA secretariats and reviews past and current experiences in international collaboration in the field of CSP technologies. In addition to identifying the success stories and the failures of CSP related international collaboration, the case study also lists four important lessons:

  1) International collaboration may help, but domestic policy decisions remain decisive

  2) In technology transfer non-financial barriers must not be underestimated

• SAIE 2009, Bologna- Between 28 to 31 October, the Saienergia 2009 will take place in Bologna. It is an important meeting point for Italian and foreign companies in the solar thermal as well as the photovoltaic sector.
• Strategic Partnerships for Turnkey Solar Collector Factories-

  Premiere at the Intersolar fair in Munich, Germany: SMI from Italy and Sunrise from Greece publicly announced their strategic partnership, with the goal to offer turnkey machinery solutions to the solar thermal industry. Photo: Bärbel Epp