flat-plate collector

The Turkish Ministry of Economy has introduced a new calculation method for import taxes and the VAT on imported vacuum tubes. The ’Protection and Inspection Tax’ (Korunma ve Gözetim Vergisi) was made official in the ‘Public Gazette’ and has been in place since 6 July 2011. The new regulation assumes the price of a vacuum tube to be at 6 USD/kg, even if the real price is much lower. The import tax of 1.9 % and 18 % VAT are both calculated based on this assumed price. With an estimated weight of 1.6 kg per tube, import tax and VAT add up to USD 1.9 per tube. That means that the new regulation significantly increases the price of a vacuum tube, which is said to cost between two and three US dollars.

This fact sheet was created by the Maryland Energy Administration (MEA). It provides information for home and business owners in Maryland on solar thermal water heating systems.

The fact sheet begins by covering what a solar thermal water heating system typically is and looks like. From there, it delves into more detail on the differences between flat-plate collectors and evacuated-tube collectors; while recommending evacuated-tube collectors because of their higher efficiency and ability to reach hotter temperatures than flat-plate collectors.

About 200,000 m² of flat plate and vacuum tube collectors were shipped throughout the US-American market in 2008, according to the annual statistics of the Energy Information Administration (EIA). The annual report was published in January 2010, four months later than announced.
Source: www.eia.doe.gov

“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

Utilizing China's sun power to heat water in buildings: This solar collector field of 5,450 m2 was mounted on the roofs of the prominent Zhongshan University in Guangzhou, in the southern province of Guangdong.
Photo: Prosunpro

2008 was a very good year for the solar thermal market in Switzerland: The figure shows the annually sold collector area of different technologies. Source: Swissolar market studies Solar Energy 2005 to 2007

This is a survey conducted by the Lebanese Solar Energy Society (LSES) which concentrates on the collection of data from companies, products and applications of solar thermal systems in order to establish a standard for Lebanese solar thermal systems and to assess the Lebanese market supply capabilities. The survey is the first step of a project between the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and the Ministry of Energy and Water (MEW).

Due to the growth in the solar thermal industry, there is significant need for training in solar thermal system design. This document goes over the usage of simulation software in education. It allows a trial and error approach and motivates the students to make near-to-reality experiences with good and bad heating systems.

Volker Kallwellis, head of development department at Wagner & Co Solartechnik, Cölbe, Germany published the following statement in the international magazine Sun & Wind Energy 7/2009 about the advantages of flat plate collectors. Photo: Wagner & Co

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.