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Egypt Starts Green Tourism Initiative with Hotel Solar Obligation
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While
Egypt is still making headlines for its unstable political situation
since the revolution almost two years ago, there seems to be a newly
emerging political commitment to solar thermal energy. On 22 January,
the Egyptian Minister of Tourism, Hisham Zaazou (second from left),
announced a solar water heating programme for the hotel sector at
Cairo's “Green Energy: A Need for Sustainable Tourism” conference. The
recommendations which the minister presented to more than 300 conference
participants had been developed together with the German Agency for
International Cooperation, GIZ, and the Egyptian Solar Energy
Development Association (SEDA). Among the short-term projects that need
to be started immediately is an obligation for hot water production and
energy-efficient lighting in hotels.
Best regards
The editorial team
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India: Federal Subsidy Scheme Is High Financial Burden for Channel Partners
by Jaideep Malaviya
There
are always two sides to each story: on the one hand, the 30%
investment subsidy scheme has brought most solar thermal system
suppliers enormous growth rates up to 100% since it was implemented by
India’s federal government in June 2010. This is the result from a
survey carried out by the Indian Malaviya Solar Energy Consultancy among
the leading Channel Partners that control almost 70% of the market. On
the other hand, the same Channel Partners must put together a minimum of
1,000 m² of collector area before being able to claim federal subsidies
on behalf of their clients. This has put a lot of pressure on the
pre-financing capacities of manufacturers which barely have the money to
grow.
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Germany: Solar Process Heat Support Shows First Results
by Eva Augsten
Twenty
applications: that is how many subsidy requests the Federal Office of
Economics and Export Control, BAFA, has received since the new
incentives for solar process heat came into effect in August 2012.
According to the head of the division, Ralph Baller, most of these
applications have already been approved. The BAFA also received informal
requests for around 50 more projects still in planning. According to
the new regulations, the German Market Rebate Programme for Renewable
Energies, MAP, is now granting subsidies of up to 50 % of the net
investment for process heat projects with a collector area between 20
and 1,000 m². The submitted projects include several car washes as well.
The one in the photo had been in operation even before the new
subsidies.
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Taiwan/Germany: Newly Founded Joint Venture for Blue Coatings
By Bärbel Epp
Until
recently, a handful of German manufacturers had practically dominated
the market for “blue” selective absorber coatings. Since 1 January 2013,
a supplier from Taiwan has now been part of this select group, too:
Alanod-Xxentria Technology Materials, headquartered in Tainan. The new
company is a joint venture between the German Alanod Group, the
worldwide largest producer of absorber sheets coated with PVD (Physical
Vapour Deposition), and Xxentria Technology Materials. The latter is a
stock-listed company which bought a new PVD coating line with an annual
capacity of 8 to 10 million m² from German machinery supplier Von
Ardenne Anlagentechnik GmbH one and a half years ago. The capital
invested in Alanod-Xxentria Technology Materials amounts to USD 66
million.
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Germany: Fraunhofer ISE’s New Climate Test Stand
by Stephanie Banse
At
the end of November, the German Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy
Systems ISE started its new test stand for solar thermal collectors.
Using this test stand, the scientists aim to simulate mechanical loads
under extreme climatic conditions, e.g., wind or snow, and analyse their
effects on the solar collectors. The test stand is part of the MechTest
project, which has been running at the Fraunhofer ISE with support from
the German Federal Environment Ministry (BMU) since 2010. The
scientists hope that the project will be able to determine the
mechanical stresses put on solar collectors and their mounting systems
by wind and snow in order to develop quality assurance systems based on
these results.
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China: Compulsory Energy Efficiency Label
by Bärbel Epp
Solar
water heaters produced after 1 September 2012 require the China Energy
Label in one of three different classes: 1, 2 or 3. The aim of the
label, which was initiated by the China National Institute of
Standardisation, is to promote energy-efficient and high-performance
appliances. The label was compulsory from the very first day on,
although there has been a certain transition period for products in
stock. It also applies to a number of other products and is a must-have
for companies which want to receive funding from the newly launched
national solar water heater subsidy programme.
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