The huge city of São Paulo, with its approx. 19 million inhabitants, approved the first solar obligation on a municipality level in July 2007. Solar water heaters have since become mandatory in a wide range of new residential and non-residential buildings.
The segment of collective systems shows high growth rates in France: The main factor behind this growth are the incentives paid by Ademe, the France Energy Agency. The investment for the solar thermal system on top of this multi-storey building in Paris was €353,000 of which 39 %...
The quickest installation possible: It took only one month to set up the 525 flat plate collectors, each with a 14 m2 surface, in the open countryside. The 7,350 m2 solar thermal system feeds the district heating system of the Danish town of Tørring. Photo:...
At the moment, the most important factor for the sales success in Portugal is to either be able to join the incentive programme – or to be left out of it. Only seven companies acquired the programme's membership so far (as of mid-May): The three Portuguese brands Norquente, Openplus and...
Producing heat in the cold climate of the Antarctic: The vacuum tube collectors from the German manufacturer Consolar cover the entire heating demand of the first emission-free polar research station, called Princess Elisabeth. Photo: Consolar
As a purchaser of a solar hot water system in Australia, you not only benefit from a federal or state rebate, but are also able to sell so-called Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs). After these certificates had been introduced in 2001, they became a key factor for the 30% annual growth of the...
The European Solar Thermal Industry Federation (ESTIF) raises the alarm: “The new plans of the European Commission for energy-labelling requirements with respect to 'dedicated water heaters' include highly problematic testing requirements for entire systems.”
Showering with energy from the sun: the new built hostels of the Polytechnic of Namibia are equipped with 87 solar water heaters with a capacity of 300 litres each. Photo: Namibian Engineering Corporation
The Renewable Energy Market Transformation Project (REMT), established in November 2008, was developed to help South Africa address some of the barriers within the renewable energy sector. It is funded through the world bank by the Global Environmental Facility (GEF) and endeavours to fulfil...
Solar water heaters and rainwater tanks become common place in Victoria´s homes nowadays. The reason for this development is a building code named 5 Star, which was implemented in the Australian state in 2005. The regulation affects all new houses and single storey units designed after the...
