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A Web Community for Solar Thermal Professionals
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De-risking Solar Thermal Investments
An open source database to support investment in solar thermal technologies through improved transparency on costs and heat prices in buildings and industry.
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The Sheikh Zayed Desert Learning Center in Abu Dhabi is aiming at becoming the first building to be awarded a 5-pearl Estidama construction rating certificate. The museum and research centre inaugurated in 2015 is located in a tourist area, which includes a 400-hectar wildlife park and a resort consisting of hotels, themed safari tours and residential areas, right on the outskirts of the second-largest city of the emirate, Al Ain, also known as the Garden City. The building has about to achieve Platinum standard, the highest rating of the US LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification scheme. The owner of the building, state-owned Al Ain Wildlife Park & Resort, paid EUR 56 million for the green showcase project, which has been adapted for the hot and dry desert climate (see the attached PDF). Solarthermalworld.org already reported on the 
Solar thermal cooling is a “small, but steadily growing market,” Dr Uli Jakob from the Green Chiller Association for Sorption Cooling pointed out in his presentation Solar Air-Conditioning in Europe during the 
The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) published two technology briefs last week. The 40-page documents, one entitled Solar Heat for Industrial Processes, the other Solar Heating and Cooling for Residential Applications, give a brief global overview of the market and technology development, including some recommendations for policy makers (see attached documents). It is the first time that the solar thermal sector is in the focus of a technology brief. The studies were published under the Energy Technology Systems Analysis Programme (ETSAP) of the International Energy Agency. Solarthermalworld.org spoke with one of the authors, Ruud Kempener, Technology Roadmap Analyst at the IRENA Innovation and Technology Centre in Bonn, Germany.
The future headquarters of the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) represent the first office building in Abu Dhabi to be awarded the 4-Pearl Estidama Construction Rating Certificate. According to the Estidama website, the 2010 rating system was the first building certification code to be adopted in the Middle East. Estidama, which means sustainability in Arabic, was implemented by the Abu Dhabi Urban Planning Council (UPC) and aims at “creating more sustainable communities, cities and global enterprises”. In addition to low energy and water consumption, credit points are given for an integrated planning process, as well as ecological building materials and an innovative building design. IRENA’s new headquarters achieved 115 points above mandatory and therefore gained the 4 Pearl rating. 
