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Albania: UNDP/UNEP Regional Workshop Illustrates Showcases in the Region
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Dear Solarthermalworld.org Reader,
Around
30 solar thermal experts from 14 different Mediterranean countries met
in Albania on 20/21 March 2013 to discuss strategies for market
development. “The target of the workshop was to share knowledge among
key experts from both the public and private sectors regarding best
practice and deployment strategies in this region,” explained Amr
Abdelhai, Project Coordinator at the United Nations Environment
Programme (UNEP). The two-day workshop was part of the Global Solar
Water Heating Market Transformation and Strengthening Initiative (GSWH)
and highlighted some showcases of successful market development
strategies in the region. The private sector participants appreciated
the first ever B2B meetings held during such a GSWH workshop. The photo
shows the visit to the orphan house in Tirana, Albania, at which a 20 m2 solar thermal collector field supports domestic hot water and space heating.
Best regards
The editorial team
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How to Finance a Large-scale Solar Thermal Plant
by Stephanie Banse
One
of the organisations which have had experiences with RES leases over
many years is the Austrian UniCredit Leasing. Josef Robert Straninger,
Country Coordinator of the Competence Center Renewable Energies at
UniCredit Leasing, explained at the SMEThermal conference in Berlin in
January 2013 what steps are necessary to ensure the successful financing
of large-scale projects. After the conference, Solarthermalworld.org
asked the expert about what he thought needed to be done and what he
believed was important when financing a large-scale solar thermal plant
in particular.
Read more»
Mexico: FAMERAC Lobbies for Stricter Solar Thermal System Standards
by Eva Augsten
The
election of the new Mexican government in December 2012 officially
ended the strategic plan for solar thermal energy, Procalsol. The
organisation of solar thermal manufacturers, FAMERAC, has been in talks
with the Mexican National Commission for Energy Efficiency (CONUEE) and
the new energy ministry to develop a strategy for a new Procalsol from
2013 to 2018. But Procalsol as a strategic framework is only one of
three areas in which FAMERAC is lobbying for solar thermal at the
moment, says Daniel García, the new President of FAMERAC and Sales
Director of Mexican collector manufacturer Modulo Solar. The other
concerns are standardisation and quality assurance of components,
systems and installations.
Read more»
Poland: Anti-pollution Programme for Cities Subsidises Solar Thermal
by Marcin Czekanski
On
1 March, the Polish National Fund for Environmental Protection and
Water Management (NFOŚiGW) announced a new programme called KAWKA to
reduce the air pollution in cities. KAWKA, which roughly translates as
“Removal of low-efficient energy sources supporting the growth and
deployment of decentralised renewable energy sources”, has a budget of
Polish Zloty (PLN) 800 million (EUR 200 million) and will support a wide
range of technologies, such as solar thermal, heat pumps, biogas and
combined heating and power plants, until the end of 2013. Eligible
applicants are municipalities of towns with more than 10,000 inhabitants
with a high level of dust pollution.
Read more»
Germany: Design Award for Integrated Storage Collector
by Stephanie Banse
The
ISH 2013 Design Plus Award goes to: Austrian Kioto Group’s Solcrafte
Style. Out of the nearly 200 submissions from 15 countries, the jury
recognised 34 as particularly outstanding, including Kioto’s integrated
storage collector, the only solar thermal product among the winners. The
international trade fair for innovative bathroom design,
energy-efficient heating and air-conditioning technology and renewable
energies, took place in Frankfurt, Germany, from 12 to 16 March 2013.
Read more»
Croatia: Demand for Residential Subsidy Scheme Exceeds Budget
by Vladislava Adamenkova
On
3 December 2012, Croatia started another year of nationwide subsidies.
The Croatian Environmental Protection and Energy Efficiency Fund (EPEEF)
grants households up to 40% of the solar water heater investment.
Eligible technologies include solar thermal, off-grid photovoltaics,
heat pumps and biomass boilers. The beginning in 2009 was accompanied by
a large countrywide media campaign. The consequence: today’s demand is
higher than the programme’s budget. EPEEF has accepted only about 50% of
all applications – solar and non-solar – over the last three years. The
focus is on home owners who already improved the building’s energy
efficiency and apply for a renewable technology, which will save more
emissions at lower costs.
Read more»
Interview with Prof Elizabeth Duarte Pereira from Brazil
by Bärbel Epp
Elizabeth
Duarte Pereira can look back at 40 years of solar thermal research in
Brazil. Today, she is Professor at the UNA University Centre in Belo
Horizonte in the state of Minas Gerais and is about to help setting-up a
new test facility in Brazil - the third in her research career. During
her stay in Berlin for the international SMEThermal conference,
Solarthermalworld.org sat down with Pereira to talk about quality
issues, standards and Brazil’s solar-supported social housing programme.
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