Last year, the amount of newly installed glazed collector area added up to 2.7 million m² (1.9 GW_th) in the European Union’s E28 and Switzerland combined. It is another decline compared to the previous year, this time by 7 %. The annual market statistics of the European Solar Thermal Industry Federation (ESTIF) show 23,700 people to have been employed by the solar thermal sector Europe-wide, whereas turnover was EUR 1.9 billion overall.

About 400 industry stakeholders met in the Ritz Carlton Hotel in Doha in early November to attend the first Green Expo Forum organised by the Gulf Organisation for Research and Development (GORD). The three-day conference offered presentations by experts from Gulf countries and the IEA Solar Heating and Cooling Programme, which held its biannual Executive Committee meeting at around the same time. GORD used the increased interest by the public sector and the media to present several Sustainability Awards to governmental organisations and private-sector companies.

In spring 2015, Germany´s Federal Office for Economic Affairs and Export Control (BAFA) introduced a performance-based incentive for solar heating as an alternative to the scheme offering incentives based on collector area. BAFA opts for the calculation method more advantageous to the applicant. Recently published statistics have shown the new programme to grant higher financial support by using the performance-based incentive for about one-third of the currently funded projects. The others still receive funding from the previously established scheme based on collector area.

The recent approval of Working Rules means that the Global Solar Certification Network (GSCN) can now accept membership applications. The reuse of test and inspection reports in different certification schemes will be possible at the beginning of 2017. Solar Keymark in Europe, SRCC in USA and the two labels CABR and CGC (Golden Sun) from China are already on their way into the GSCN – and more are said to follow soon. GSCN industry members can use a collector test report or a production inspection report from one of these schemes to apply for a certificate in another part of the world which is also part of GSCN.

In cooperation with EU project SmartReFlex, solarthermalworld.org holds the webinar Think big – Design rules and monitoring results of solar district heating systems on Tuesday, 6 December 2016, from 2 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. Central European Time (time zone includes Berlin, Brussels, and Copenhagen). The webinar will be free of charge and open to all interested stakeholders. Recording will be available online afterwards. You can register for it online.