workshops

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 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.

The three speakers for the two-day workshop in Abu Dhabi (from left): Riadh Bhar (Ecofys Germany), Uli Jakob (Solem Consulting) and Rainer Schmidt (TST-C Thomas Schmidt Consultants GmbH) had extensive discussions with the participants about project design and financing of renewable energy systems in the field of solar cooling, solar process heat, photovoltaics and energy efficiency in buildings.
Photo: Solem Consulting

After running for 26 months, the European Trans-Solar project finally ended in January 2010. Its aim had been to transfer solar thermal know-how from the old EU Member States to the countries of Central and Eastern Europe.
Source: www.cres.gr/trans-solar/

The Sardar Patel Renewable Energy Research Institute (SPRERI) organized a one day workshop on solar thermal drying at the end of March 2010. Its aim was to intensify the efforts of tapping into the national market potential for using solar applications to dry agricultural products.
Photo: Jaideep Malaviya

The Solar Keymark Network is about to establish a foundation to support the further proliferation of this quality standard. The reason for this decision can be traced back to a change in the definition of types and sub types by the European Committee for Standardization (CEN) and its subsequent reduction in the fees at the beginning of this year.

The demonstration of best practise - a solar thermal system on the roof of the Saida Governmental Hospital - showed some technical deficiencies at second glance. The monitoring of the system led to a check list including preventive maintenance advice.
Photo: Solarnet