Italy: Plans to Simplify Conto Termico Administration
by Valeria Verga
Nearly two years after the start of Italian incentive programme Conto
Termico, some difficulties still persist: There are currently around
7,000 applications for the programme, most of them for solar thermal
systems, but this is a really small number compared to the funding
available. Nevertheless, the constant pressure that the associations
have put on decision-makers over almost the past two years seems to
finally pay off.
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India: Chinese Manufacturers Dominate Solar Business at REI Expo 2014
by Jaideep Malaviya
Solar energy played a very prominent role during the 8th
edition of the Renewable Energy India (REI) Expo 2014, which took place
in the National Capital Region at the beginning of September: Close to
60 % of the nearly 375 booths presented solar PV and solar thermal
technology, whereas the share had been a mere 15 to 20 % a few years
ago. This year’s trade fair also saw an increasing interest in
low-temperature solar thermal products. Most of the 50 exhibitors
offering goods in this segment were vacuum tube and collector
manufacturers from China.
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Turkey: Three Vacuum Tube Manufacturers Eying Export Market
by Bärbel Epp
Turkey‘s three vacuum tube manufacturers, which were set up in response
to the high import taxes the government imposed on Chinese vacuum tubes
in July 2011, have now become part of an export industry themselves.
Lara Solar, Assolar and Solarsan all claim to have already been
exporting vacuum tubes to different regions worldwide. Lara Solar’s
General Manager Nurullah Aslan is quoted on the website as having said
that he was proud to now sell vacuum tubes back to China, as some years
ago, his company imported tubes from there.
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Germany: 2,200 m² Solar Thermal Installations on 22 Hamburg Mosques
by Eva Augsten
Atherm Solartechnik, located in Oberhausen, Germany, has installed
identical solar thermal plants, each of them with 100 m² of vacuum tube
collector area, on 22 mosques and other buildings belonging to Hamburg’s
Muslim community. The photo shows the city’s Centrum mosque, which has
1,500 members.
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Germany: Excel-Based IRR Commercial Project Calculations
by Bärbel Epp
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German Fresnel collector manufacturer Industrial Solar is experiencing
an increasing demand from clients all around the world: “Five years ago,
we received two requests per month. Now, we receive around 50 each
month and the requests are more serious,” Tobias Schwind, who is one of
the Managing Directors of the company founded in 2009, confirms. Schwind
has begun to notice a shift in the industry: “Whereas payback times of
three to four years have, so far, been commonplace, the industry is
steering towards five- to six-year periods,” he says and adds: “We,
however, try to explain to our clients that they are investing in their
infrastructure, and payback time is therefore not really the best
criterion.” Industrial Solar offers potential clients a calculation of
the Net Present Value (NPV) and the Internal Rate of Return (IRR).
According to the managing director, an economic analysis based on these
parameters often shows that solar process heat is worth further
consideration.
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