News | Solarthermalworld

December 2, 2021
Spain: Solar district heating on the starting blocks

The Spanish solar district heating market is still in its infancy. Among the 500 district heating networks in operation across the country totalling more than 1.6 GW_th only seven use solar heat, according to the Association of District Heating and Cooling Companies (ADHAC)....
November 29, 2021
Automated factory for polymer collectors in Norway

Inaventa Solar has now started operating a fully automated production line for solar collectors with polymer absorbers in Jevnaker, Norway. It took about 18 months from placing the order to commissioning the new, unique production equipment, on which the start-up spent around EUR 4 million...
November 26, 2021
Big plans for heat pumps but not for solar hybrid systems in the Netherlands

The Dutch association Holland Solar is disappointed about the latest proposal from the Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate regarding the national subsidy scheme ISDE for renewable energy solutions. In a letter dated 28th October the ministry announced plans to increase...
November 23, 2021
#EnergyEfficientLighting: Dynamic research group publishes 16 reports

The success of highly energy-efficient lighting designs hinges on more than technological ingenuity. Other key make-or-break factors are smart control strategies and the interaction of lighting users with the built environment. Under the auspices of the IEA Solar Heating and Cooling...
November 16, 2021
Founders of Clean Heat Forum contemplate a variety of strategies

During last week’s COP26 in Glasgow, the UK government launched a Clean Heat Forum to accelerate the decarbonisation of heat used in buildings. The platform will be managed under the umbrella of the Global Alliance for Buildings and Construction (GlobalABC), founded at COP21 in Paris in...
November 12, 2021
Launch of Solar Thermal Yearbook 2021

Solar thermal energy is indispensable for the energy transition, but just as indispensable is informing the interested public about the state of the art and the wide range of possible solar heat applications. This is the motivation of the editorial team for launching the first English...
November 4, 2021
Standardised yield assessments for industrial solar heat plants

The yield of solar process heat systems as simulated during feasibility studies has a decisive influence on the profitability of the respective investment. Therefore, simulation tools play an important role in the project development phase. Currently, however, project developers use a large...
November 2, 2021
Pathway to 100 % renewables: “Industry is a really hard-to-abate sector”

“The world is burning more fossil fuels than ever. We need deep structural change,” REN21 Executive Director Rana Adib warned attendees at a panel discussion at last week’s Solar World Congress. “It is not enough anymore to look at the energy supply side – that is, the power sector – but we...
October 31, 2021
Tackling the complexity of urban-level energy simulations

A special “Fall School” for PhD and advanced master's students to enhance their knowledge of designing and implementing solar strategies in urban areas was offered by the IEA SHC Task 63 Solar Neighbourhood Planning in October. Dr. Caroline Hachem-Vermette from the University of...
October 28, 2021
Germany supports solar thermal in energy systems with cogeneration

The use of solar district heating is rapidly gaining momentum in Germany. One reason is that the first projects which have received state support under the Innovative Combined Heat and Power Programme are close to completion. An example of a local energy supplier that has profited from this...
October 27, 2021
Future role of solar heat in IEA’s Net Zero Roadmap

In May the International Energy Agency challenged policy makers with a 224-page report titled Net Zero by 2050: a Roadmap for the Global Energy Sector including 400 milestones that governments have to realise to achieve the 1.5 °C target. Whereas for solar heat in buildings fairly...
October 26, 2021
Bulgaria torn between support for coal and decarbonisation aims

In Bulgaria’s capital Sofia, 1,698 kilometres from Brussels as the crow flies, politicians remain wary of the EU’s Green Deal plans, reports our long-time Sofia correspondent Frank Stier. A sun-rich country bordering on the Black Sea, Bulgaria became a member of the EU in 2007. But while 18...