Technology Trends, News

Figure of a bending machine for serpentine absorbers: the bending head is situated in the middle of a horizontal table – in some cases supported by a sliding block to obtain the best bending angle.
Photo: SMI

Great response: The 5^th China International Solar Energy Autumn Trade Fair in Changzhou, Jiangsu province, sparked the interest of a high number of exhibitors. Photo: Joseph Huang

Patented feature of a new fleece insulation made of polyester fibre: Bending it in the other direction will easily show you the tapered form of the insulation.
Photo: Tisun

What counts is the quality of the collar: Dagan´s punching machines possess a special die, which works together with the internal punch to optimize the form of the collar.
Photo: Dagan Machine Engineering

If solar energy is to be the primary or only source of heat for houses in the future, there will arise a need for storing it more efficiently. Materials have to be found that are able to hold more energy than water, but with less volume and higher loss. Task 32 of the International Energy Agency's (IEA) Solar & Cooling programme was working on this issue. The scientists presented their results at the Eurosun 2008 in Lisbon, at the beginning of October.

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.

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

Feeding directly into the district heating system of the Austrian city of Graz: The collector fields are mounted on four different hall roofs belonging to the AEVG, a municipal waste disposal company.

Photo: S.O.L.I.D. / Oberländer