USA

This report was written in cooperation with the Environment California Research & Policy Center and the Frontier Group in 2007.

The report starts with a summary of exactly what solar thermal systems do, how they can have a positive effect on natural gas consumption and stating that the renewed interest in solar hot water can be traced back to the energy crisis of the 1970s.

This report was prepared by the company Bright Source and submitted to the California Independent System Operator (CAISO).

The report draws conclusions on solar thermal forecasting, based on several factors including sun position, solar field design, thermal mass/inertia issues, operating strategies, back-up technologies, and current plant status.

It has charts and graphs to show how factors such as sun position, heliostat orientation, shadowing and blocking can affect the energy flux on the receiver.

This report was prepared by Solar Mining Company and funded by the Wisconsin Focus on Energy Program. St. Norbert College is located on the Fox River in De Pere, Wisconsin. At the time of this report, they had a district hot water network that uses two separate heating plants, and buildings at the end of this water system experience a loss of hot water during peak demands.

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

This report was from the Interstate Renewable Energy Council (IREC) Annual Meeting in October, 2009. The report is broken down to cover state incentives & policy trends, solar installation trends, net metering & interconnection updates & trends, and workforce development and training.

"Promising Markets for Renewables and Energy Efficiency" is the slogan of the 2^nd German American Energy Conference (GAE) which will take place 22/23 March 2010 in Berlin, Germany. More than 80 speakers will discuss topics on wind, solar and bio energy, as well as energy efficiency in industry.

This report was prepared by the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE) in 2007 to analyze solar-assisted water heaters.

The report starts with background information on how many solar units/per year and how the systems are installed. It then compares solar-assisted gas and electric water heaters, with statistics that measure: fuel use; efficiency; summer peak, winter peak and total savings; incremental costs; and additional notes on each system.

This is a letter written by the Utility Solar Water heating Initiative (USH20) to the Florida Public Service Commission in 2008.

USH20 is a coalition of utilities and the solar thermal industry that focuses on implementing cost-effective solar thermal solutions for utilities and customers. Their industry members supply nearly all the SWH equipment being installed today.

This report was prepared by the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) in 2007. It gives an overview on the status of all solar energy and the future of it in the US.

This report was issued by the Green Institute in 2008 and discusses the option of a “solar carve-out” to build Minnesota’s solar future.

To develop Minnesota’s renewable sources beyond 25 percent, development of additional renewable energy will be necessary, specifically solar technology.