Newsletter - Solarthermalworld.org Newsletter May 2015

In this issue

Italy: “Conto Termico is under revision and an improved version should come into force before summer”

Solar Cooling Week in China: Sector Still Growing in Asia and Europe

Austria: Business as Usual Results in Market Decline

Germany: Crowd Lending or Cooperatives – Different Ways to Bring Solar District Heating into Focus

Estimated Global Solar Thermal Turnover in 2013: EUR 18 billion

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

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

yesterday · reply

Abu Dhabi: Solar-Cooled Museum in Desert to Gain 5-Pearl Certificate

Dear Solarthermalworld.org Reader,

The Sheikh Zayed Desert Learning Center in Abu Dhabi is aiming at becoming the first building to be awarded a 5-Pearl Estidama Construction Rating Certificate. The newly implemented green-building seal in the emirate of Abu Dhabi requires low energy and water consumption and also gives credit points for an integrated planning process, ecological building materials and innovative building design. The solar cooling system with an absorption chiller of 352 kW covers 10 to 15 % of the annual cooling demand of the high-efficiency structure located in the desert. Although the solar cooling share is not the most important figure for Estidama certification, it can reduce the electricity peak load of the building in combination with the cooled concrete in the floors and in the ceiling, which could mean up to 4 additional points in the Estidama scheme.

Have a good read and sunny regards

The editorial team

Photo: Chalabi Architekten & Partner

Italy: “Conto Termico is under revision and an improved version should come into force before summer”
by Riccardo Battisti

According to the market survey by Assotermica, the Italian Association of Manufacturers of Equipment and Components for Heating Systems, Italy’s newly installed collector area went down to 280,000 m² last year. The survey covers about 80 % of the market, with the remaining share having been extrapolated. In search of an explanation for the apparently relentless market collapse since the peak year of 2008, during which 500,000 m² were installed, solarthermalworld.org spoke with Federico Musazzi, Secretary General of Assotermica and Official at roof organisation ANIMA, the Federation of the Italian Associations of Mechanical and Engineering Industries.

Solar Cooling Week in China: Sector Still Growing in Asia and Europe
by Eva Augsten

Solar thermal cooling is a “small, but steadily growing market,” Dr Uli Jakob from the Green Chiller Association for Sorption Cooling pointed out in his presentation Solar Air-Conditioning in Europe during the Solar Cooling Week, which took place in Shanghai from 23 to 27 March. The week started with two experts meetings of IEA SHC Task 48 (Quality Assurance and Support Measures for Solar Cooling Systems) and Task 53 (New Generation Solar Cooling and Heating Systems) on solar cooling and ended with the Solar Cooling Conference. About 80 % of the over 100 participants came from Asian countries.

Austria: Business as Usual Results in Market Decline
by Bärbel Epp

If the Austrian solar thermal sector keeps doing business as usual, newly installed collector area will continue to decrease and end up at 122,000 m² in 2025 (152,000 m² in 2014). This is the key message of the Austrian roadmap Solarwärme 2025 (Solar Heat 2015). In their study, Christian Fink and Dieter Preiß, both from Austrian research institute AEE Intec, conclude that the downward trend is a result of shrinking demand from owners of single- and two-family buildings, especially regarding existing building stock. It needs new distribution and business models and steady cost reductions to get the market back on track.

Germany: Crowd Lending or Cooperatives – Different Ways to Bring Solar District Heating into Focus
by Vanessa Kriele

Renewable heat comes out on top whenever it substituted fossil energy, Swiss solar thermal pioneer Josef Jenni stated during the first panel discussion of the conference on district heating with solar and biomass, which was held in the German city of Trier on 16 and 17 April 2015 organised by the local solar association, Solarverein. If there ever was a chance to make solar thermal heating viable for a wide variety of district heating projects, it would be now, some visitors of the congress said during the break.

Estimated Global Solar Thermal Turnover in 2013: EUR 18 billion
by Bärbel Epp

Solar heating and cooling is not really the most transparent sector regarding market and industry figures. There is no global solar heat industry council and companies around the globe are using quite different technologies and supply chains – which is exactly why all entities and brand associations have so far hesitated to publish a worldwide turnover for the solar thermal industry. This news piece by German agency solrico will make the first attempt at assessing the sector’s global turnover, which it estimates at EUR 17.996 billion in 2013. The text will list all of the assumptions and estimations done to get to that number, so that any stakeholder or organisation with additional or different information may contact us to improve the assessment (epp@solrico.com).

NEWS TICKER

France: New ESCO Focuses on Process Heat

Russia: Moscow Utility’s Costumer Service Centres Get Vacuum Tube Collectors

India: PRINCE Offers Solar Cooking Workshops for New Entrepreneurs

IEA SHC Task 46: Solar Irradiation Data Helps Schedule and Operate Solar Thermal Plants

Kenya: Financial Scheme Attached to Solar Obligation

Spain: Study Demonstrates Technical and Economic Viability of Barcelona’s Solar District Heating Grid