World’s largest DH sector needs upgrading
by Eugene Gerden

The SDH market is still in its infancy in Russia. Despite huge potential, few SDH pilot plants run in the exact same country that is home to the world’s largest district heating sector with 50,000 networks. Russian solar thermal experts doubt that the DH reform bill will result in SDH investments.

“SDH heat can be more cost-effective than gas”
by Bärbel Epp

In the Western Balkans, one of Europe’s southernmost regions, large district heating networks are a common sight. Some of those are run at return temperatures as low as 45 °C, making them well-suited for solar energy, according to Bojan Bogdanovic, EBRD Principal Fund Manager.

“The workshop was extremely helpful”
by Bärbel Epp

In early January, the Confederation of European Paper Industries hosted a meeting in Brussels. The objective of this half-day workshop was to bridge the knowledge gap between renewable energy technology suppliers and industrial users.

New Brazilian government has no appetite for solar
by Leticia Sother

Brazil has just been through a tough election process. The main objective of the new government is to improve the economy, which has been in crisis mode since 2014. Environmental concerns are being given low priority. Preliminary data from Brazil’s national solar thermal association, ABRASOL, expects a decline in the market in 2018.

C&I solar heat gains popularity in Mexico
by Bärbel Epp

The Mexican solar thermal market continued to grow slightly in 2018. The newly installed collector area was up by 4 %, although some government programmes were stopped or changed because of last year’s presidential elections. Commercial and industrial applications made up about 20 % of total sales in 2018.