Newsletter - Newsletter Solarthermalworld.org January 2015

In this issue

Germany: Second Tax Rebate Attempt to Make Buildings Energy-Efficient

Austria: Robert Kanduth Buys Back 50 % Greenonetec Stake

Switzerland: Solar Thermal Systems Cost Almost Twice as Much as in Austria

China: Association Assembly Titled “Keep the faith in reform and innovation”

Jordan: “The solar bylaw is going to have a strong impact on the market”

Upcoming Events

Supporters

European Copper Institute

Solarthermalworld

Renewable heating & cooling: First target ever in the 🇪🇺🇪🇺 https://t.co/dwgw1V22Ip #SolarHeat #biomass #HeatPump https://t.co/C4ugrjpMjg

6 hours ago · reply

One more step forward for the large #SolarDistrictHeating project in 🇦🇹🇦🇹🇦🇹 https://t.co/4DV2ZkERQ1 #SolarHeat… https://t.co/WMWqWhLqWc

yesterday · reply

Advanced Technologies to Break New Ground

Dear Solarthermalworld.org Reader,

The solar thermal industry breaks new ground: The market volume of small solar water heaters sold to single-family homeowners has dropped in many countries around the globe and has made the switch to commercial segments a necessary step in offsetting the decline. Such a transition, however, demands new designs and technologies. For example, in Turkey, public orders play an important role in establishing new standards in multi-family buildings for central hot water systems with flat plate collectors and a selectively coated absorber area (see photo). Indian collector manufacturer Clique Solar has become a pioneer with its first solar concentrating cooking system equipped with a steam storage tank, which also allows cooking breakfast. China, the largest cooling market in the world, will host the first-ever Solar Cooling Conference (SCC) in Shanghai in March, an event jointly organised by the IEA Solar Heating and Cooling Programme and the Shanghai Jiao Tong University.

Best wishes for your business ventures in 2015

The editorial team

Public orders in Turkey

Steam storage Tank in India

Solar Cooling Conference in China

Germany: Second Tax Rebate Attempt to Make Buildings Energy-Efficient
by Bärbel Epp

The third of December 2014 was a historically sunny day for the German solar thermal sector: On this date, the government approved the National Action Plan for Energy Efficiency, NAPE, which had been drafted by the German Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy. The document lists a number of short-term measures to help reach the national target of 14 % of renewable heat by 2020. The key measure is a tax rebate for the energy-efficient modernisation of buildings, worth EUR 1 billion annually. The German renewable associations welcomed the plan, but said that the tax rebate scheme must be designed properly in order to be effective.

Austria: Robert Kanduth Buys Back 50 % Greenonetec Stake
by Bärbel Epp

Danish Solarcap’s solar disinvestment strategy continues: In November 2014, the subsidiary of the Danish VKR Holding sold its 50 % share in Austrian collector manufacturer Greenonetec back to the founder, Robert Kanduth. Kanduth is an Austrian entrepreneur with experiences in a wide variety of business segments, such as hotels, photovoltaics, as well as solar thermal. The second half of Greenonetec belongs to Austrian company Kioto Clear Energy, of which Kanduth owns around 65 %.

Switzerland: Solar Thermal Systems Cost Almost Twice as Much as in Austria
by Eva Augsten

The Swiss Federal Office of Energy (SFOE) has just published a study on end customer prices for solar thermal systems in Switzerland. It turns out that, including installation, a typical Swiss solar thermal system configuration for a single-family home costs almost twice as much in Switzerland as they would in neighbouring Austria and about 30 % more than in southern Germany. High labour costs and quality standards account for much of the price difference, but they cannot explain all of it.

China: Association Assembly Titled “Keep the faith in reform and innovation”
by Bärbel Epp

China is not only number one in installed solar thermal power worldwide, but it is also the country quickest to publish the results of current market statistics. Hundreds of industry stakeholders met in the city of Linyi, Shandong province, on 18 and 19 December 2014 to discuss the currently difficult market situation for solar heating and cooling during the annual assembly of the Chinese Solar Thermal Industry Federation (CSTIF). According to the annual market statistics published by The Sun´s Vision from Dezhou, Shandong, newly installed collector area was down by 18 %, from 63.6 million m² (44.5 GW_th) in 2013 to 52.4 million m² (36.7 GW_th) in 2014.

Jordan: “The solar bylaw is not going to have a strong impact on the market”
by Bärbel Epp

Since April 2013, Jordan has had a solar bylaw in place. The rules of the bylaw were stipulated in Article 10 of Law No. 73, which had already entered into force in 2012. Solar water heaters are a mandatory requirement for every new multi-family building with more than 150 m² of living space, for every new office building exceeding 100 m² of floor space, as well as each new public building with more than 250 m². There are, however, no additional regulations regarding quality standards or system sizes.

NEWS TICKER

France: Third Solar District Heating Conference Call for Paper

Geo-Solar House Design Made in Romania

Poland: From Renewable Heat to Renewable Electricity Funding

Austria: Gasokol and Sunwin Merge

Spain: Solar Thermal Incentives in Valencia

Tunisia: Ups and Downs of Prosol Subsidy Scheme