Newsletter - Solarthermalworld.org Newsletter April 2014

In this issue

Switzerland: Performance Testing of Process Heat Collectors

India: ESCO Concept for Wheel Producer

Denmark: From Sunmark to Sunmark Solutions

“Demonstrate that your business model is scalable”

Slovenia: Grant and Loan Scheme in Its Sixth Year

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World Map and Database Increase Visibility of Solar Process Heat

Dear Solarthermalworld.org Reader,

There is enormous demand for industrial heat in the temperature range between 100 and 250 °C all around the world, and solar thermal technologies are said to play an important role in covering this demand over the next decades. But potential customers are not aware enough of the sunny options. To win their trust, solar process heat needs to become a mature and recognised technology and have a high number of reference projects to show for.

An online database and a world map – both published in March this year – will help close this gap. Online database www.ship-plants.info already incorporates 122 solar process heat projects from around the globe with a total thermal power of 88 MW. The first World Map of the Solar Process Heat Collector Industry shows 33 manufacturers of concentrating solar collectors from 9 countries, including their technology’s stage of development: prototype, demonstration project or commercial plant. Both the database and the world map will be updated regularly – to open the eyes of potential clients to new opportunities.

Best regards
The editorial team

More on World Map

More on SHIP database

Switzerland: Performance Testing of Process Heat Collectors
by Bärbel Epp

Process heat collectors in the range of 100 to 250 °C are a rather new species of collector types and test institutes are facing some challenges to test these new types of collectors. Solarthermalworld.org spoke with Dr. Elimar Frank, Research Director at the Swiss Institute of Solar Technology SPF Rapperswil. Frank analysed the performance curves of different process heat collectors and emphasised the role of the collector field output to compare different collectors for specific applications.

India: ESCO Concept for Wheel Producer
by Jaideep Malaviya

Wheels India, one of the world’s largest wheel manufacturers for commercial vehicles, is profiting from one of the few ESCO projects in India. The Energy Service Company (ESCO) Aspiration Energy has been delivering heat from a 1,365 m² vacuum collector field for almost two years now. The solar-heated water at 75 °C is used to degrease the wheels prior to final painting, a process which had been supplied by oil boilers before causing high energy costs. The promising solar results have convinced the wheel producer to plan the installation of additional solar water heating systems in factories across the country.

Denmark: From Sunmark to Sunmark Solutions
by Bärbel Epp

Because of a lack of turnover, Danish collector manufacturer and turnkey solar thermal system supplier Sunmark had to file for bankruptcy on 10 February 2014. “We had had a hard time with the competition during public tenders, but also some difficulties with bad quality products from Danish and Swedish subcontractors, which had created some huge costs to Sunmark,” Hans Grydehøj, CEO, co-founder and one of the two shareholders of Sunmark, explains. “In the end, it was not possible to come to an agreement with the bank, and filing for bankruptcy was the only solution." But this didn’t mean the end of Sunmark’s activities.

“Demonstrate that your business model is scalable”
by Bärbel Epp

Solar thermal technology is said to offer enormous potential over the coming decades. However, to grow and develop a technology, you need investments, and these investments are hard to come by for the solar thermal sector. Investors don’t know much about the solar thermal sector and the sector hasn’t had much experience with investors either. Nicholas Atkins was the only representative from the cleantech venture capital market to participate in the international industry conference. The partner of Georgieff Capital Advisors listed some do's and don'ts when start-up companies address potential investors.

Slovenia: Grant and Loan Scheme in Its Sixth Year
by Bärbel Epp

At the end of February, the Slovenian subsidy scheme restarted with a new call for applications. Eco Sklad, the Slovenian Environmental Public Fund, has been promoting renewable energies through non-repayable subsidies and low-interest loans since 2008. Each year, the scheme supports solar thermal systems, as well as wood boilers and efficiency measures in passive houses until its annual budget runs out. This budget was already spent in August last year. It was hard for the industry to cope with the interruption of 6 months.

NEWS TICKER

Brazil: Rising Electricity Prices Put Spotlight on Solar Thermal

Great Britain: Renewable Heating Incentive for Households is slowly revealed

Europe: Four Trade Fairs and Conferences for New Solar Thermal Applications

Germany/Denmark: Solar District Heating Prices between 37 and 88 EUR/MWh

Austria: European Buildings Directive Demands Better Interaction of Building Technologies

Belgium: European Renewable Energy Council (EREC) is History

Bulgarian Fund Gives Boost to Solar Thermal

Germany: Solar House Institute Members Win Renergy Award