24 JUN 2021 New chair for IEA SHC Programme on growth path The new Chair of the IEA Solar Heating and Cooling Programme, also known as IEA SHC, is Tomas Olejniczak, an all-around energy transition and renewable... read more
20 SEP 2021 IEA SHC Solar Cooling Task: “We can make a difference” US project developer ergSol is a true pioneer. The company is not only putting up large commercial solar heat systems in California but also supports the... read more
10 SEP 2021 IEA SHC workshop to create 'Smart Solar Water Heating for 2030' research platform With 57 % of the total solar heating capacity in operation globally, thermosiphon systems top the list of the world’s most used solar thermal technologies.... read more
28 AUG 2021 SICA countries join IEA SHC with some flagship projects in their region In its current Solar Update Newsletter August 2021 the IEA Solar Heating and Cooling Programme welcomes what is already the sixth Regional Sustainable... read more
10 AUG 2021 How SHIP can compete with heat produced from natural gas in Europe Many studies have shown the huge potential solar thermal has for clean heat production in industry. But so far, there have been comparatively few attempts... read more
08 AUG 2021 Germany’s solar heat success story in 2020 and beyond In 2020, the German market for solar heat grew by 26 % – more than any other major solar thermal market around the globe, according to the new Solar Heat... read more
20 JUL 2021 Develop stable and reliable compact thermal energy storages The IEA Solar Heating and Cooling Programme has redoubled its efforts to develop and test compact thermal energy storage (CTES), saying the technology... read more
08 JUL 2021 Global PVT market on track for more growth PVT collectors – which use solar radiation to produce both heat and electricity – have been gaining in popularity in a rising number of markets around... read more
03 JUL 2021 Solar Heat Worldwide 2021 – a rich source of global, national and sector-specific data In 2020, Germany was the world’s leading solar district heating market, while China saw the largest increase in the number of industrial solar heat systems... read more
03 JUL 2021 Workflow stories describe use of solar neighbourhood planning tools Experts working on the Solar Neighborhood Planning project have created workflow stories to find out which tools urban planners use and what problems they... read more
28 JUN 2021 German university offers new tool to display factory heat loads To simplify the design of industrial solar heat systems in Europe, the German University of Kassel has developed an Excel tool that can be used to create... read more
22 JUN 2021 Greening the Heat Supply Solar Heat Worldwide 2021, with data from 68 countries, is the most comprehensive evaluation of solar heating and cooling markets. The 2021 edition plus... read more
26 MAY 2021 New SDH factsheet database goes online The IEA Solar Heating and Cooling Programme has just launched a database containing a substantial number of fact sheets about solar district heating technologies,... read more
20 MAY 2021 Europe holds top spot for SHIP incentives Spain has recently launched an investment grant scheme focused on industrial solar heat, joining an already long list of European countries – including... read more
10 MAY 2021 Australian PV Institute (APVI) Highlights SHC PVT Technology Position Paper Photovoltaic Thermal (PVT) can increase energy yield per square meter by extracting heat from PV panels, and diverting that energy into the building’s... read more
05 MAY 2021 SBE21 conference spotlights historic NZEBs The SBE21 Heritage conference in mid-April involved a deep exchange of ideas between researchers, architects and practitioners about how to reduce the... read more
02 MAY 2021 How to design an 85 % solar-heated and 100 % solar air-conditioned house During an online meeting from 1 to 2 July, the IEA Solar Heating and Cooling programme will launch a new global research platform called Task 66 Solar... read more
26 APR 2021 Survey: Multiple-benefits and priorities in Solar Neighborhoods What are the priorities in the planning of your neighborhoods and cities? You are invited to contribute to our research on Solar Neighborhoods. read more
24 APR 2021 Solar-heated multi-family buildings gain popularity in Germany Many new largely solar-heated houses in Germany are multi-family buildings, and their number is growing, according to Sonnenhaus-Institut (Solar House... read more
24 APR 2021 Solar houses: above 95 % solar fraction is possible Between 2014 and 2019, the Austrian Climate and Energy Fund supported the construction of over 100 solar-heated houses, 19 of which were monitored by the... read more
14 APR 2021 Water-energy nexus in wastewater management Solar-powered water treatment can significantly reduce industrial manufacturers’ water and energy footprints and turn municipal water treatment plants... read more
13 APR 2021 On-Site Registration available for SBE21 From the 14th to the 16th of April 2021, it will be possible to register “on-site”. The “on-site” day-by-day registration... read more
29 MAR 2021 SHC Technology Position Paper: Building Integrated Solar Envelope Systems for HVAC and Lighting The quest to decarbonize society's electrical and thermal systems has never been more urgent. In this Technology Position Paper, experts of IEA SHC Task... read more
26 MAR 2021 Improving the efficiency of Solar District Heating (SDH) Since the end of IEA SHC Task 55 – Large Solar District Heating and Cooling Systems last December, there have been multiple calls for continuing the work... read more
28 FEB 2021 PV-Thermal: Major markets and most sought-after technologies IEA SHC Task 60, Application of PVT Collectors, shows how a fruitful collaboration between industry and research can lead to a thorough analysis of current... read more
25 FEB 2021 SBE keynote speakers announced Get inspired by SBE21 Heritage Keynote Speakers Dr. Ege Yildirim and Prof. Harald Garrecht. read more
24 FEB 2021 Strategies to promote solar envelopes In the last four years, the multidisciplinary IEA SHC Task 56 research group worked intensively on strategies to increase the market penetration of solar... read more
08 FEB 2021 ISES and IEA SHC partner up to host Solar World Congress 2021 In 2021, the Solar World Congress will continue as an online event offering a wide variety of digital networking opportunities. Originally, SWC 2021 was... read more
28 JAN 2021 Using solar energy to recover acids and metals from wastewater An IEA SHC research group led by Dr Joachim Koschikowski, of Fraunhofer ISE, has created a matrix depicting thermal separation methods for industrial wastewater... read more
15 JAN 2021 SHC Technology Position Paper: PVT Collectors and Systems The quest to decarbonize society's electrical and thermal systems has never been more urgent. In this Technology Position Paper, experts of IEA SHC Task... read more
14 JAN 2021 Trigeneration with PVT ? here is a nice example from Spain This Spanish plant is based on solar hybrid PVT collectors integrated with a reversible heat pump (vapour-compression unit) for heating, cooling, electricity... read more
13 JAN 2021 Task 60 highlights 2020 is available in the publications section of the Task60 website The "Task highlights" is the summary of work achieved during 2020. read more
21 DEC 2020 Assessing lighting quality in commercial buildings How effective are integrated daylighting and electric lighting solutions in raising comfort and saving energy? To answer this question, a group of researchers... read more
17 DEC 2020 Surface synergies and conflicts in smart cities Surface area is an important but limited resource in cities that aim to become climate neutral. It can be used to, for example, generate heat or electricity... read more
16 DEC 2020 Heat Load Profiles – A Key for Unlocking Renewable Heating Systems Potential In the context of IEA SHC Task 64: Solar Process Heat, researchers developed a method to estimate the heat load profiles of companies in industry... read more
16 DEC 2020 Lighting Solutions with People in Mind The collaborative project, SHC Task 61 / EBC Annex 77 on Integrated Solutions for Daylight and Electric Lighting: From Component to User Centered... read more
16 DEC 2020 IEA SHC & IEA ECES Collaboration Makes Advances in Thermal Energy Storage Thermal energy storage is key for integrating renewable heat sources into an energy system --from domestic applications to district heating and from... read more
16 DEC 2020 Material and Component Development for Thermal Energy Storage The IEA SHC Programme concluded its joint project with the IEA Energy Conservation through Energy Storage (ECES) Programme on Material and Component... read more
01 DEC 2020 Hybrid solutions are key to decarbonising industry Industrial solar heat will be a key element of any strategy to decarbonise the industrial sector. A mid-November workshop organised by partners to the... read more
22 NOV 2020 Technical and market assessment of solar cooling in the Caribbean IEA SHC Solar Academy’s first online training sessions on solar heating and cooling in the Caribbean have been well received by those attending the event. read more
20 NOV 2020 Fact sheets TASK 55 available TASK 55 ends soon! Currently the fact sheets are in finalization. There are already some fact sheets downloadable. read more
14 NOV 2020 Solar thermal cooling reduces the strain on the power grid Global IEA Solar Heating and Cooling research platform Task 65, called Solar Cooling for the Sunbelt Regions, aims to provide countries in Africa, Asia... read more
06 NOV 2020 Online workshop about solar-powered industrial water management Using solar energy to decontaminate and disinfect industrial water could save both GHG emissions and water. To this end, the Water Solar Treatment research... read more
04 NOV 2020 TrustEE standardises project assessment and financing Any company that wants to be successful in selling industrial solar heat solutions to end users and investors needs standardised project assessment and... read more
27 OCT 2020 Improved design for giga-size pit heat storage Denmark’s cost-effective, tried-and-true seasonal pit heat storage concept needs to be modified if it is to be implemented across Europe, since district... read more
30 SEP 2020 Four years of global SDH research summarised in online workshop and factsheets On Thursday, 15 October 2020, an online technology transfer workshop about large solar district heating networks will provide attendees with the perfect... read more
20 SEP 2020 Thermal storage for flexible sector integration In his keynote speech at Eurosun 2020, Dr Andreas Hauer talked about the different roles that heat storage could play as part of a whole systems approach... read more
07 SEP 2020 Strong European research network meets at Eurosun Yesterday marked the start of the first virtual Eurosun. More than 200 experts from the worlds of research and business had signed up for the three-day... read more
27 AUG 2020 Little support for PV-thermal despite high yields PVT applications do not receive nearly as much support as solar thermal or PV systems do. Incentive schemes especially often do not include funding for... read more
27 JUL 2020 Region with high solar ambitions joins IEA SHC One of the IEA Solar Heating and Cooling Programme’s new sponsors is SACREEE, the Centre for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency, set up by the Southern... read more
16 JUL 2020 New Solar Cooling Project The new project, Task 65: Solar Cooling for the Sunbelt Regions, builds upon our past four solar cooling Tasks. This Task will be different in that it... read more
16 JUL 2020 Solar Energy in Industrial Water and Wastewater Management The change to a sustainable, resource- and energy-efficient industry represents a major challenge in the coming years. The efficient supply of energy,... read more
16 JUL 2020 Building Integrated Solar Envelopes: Current Status and Actions Needed The objective of our Task on Building Integrated Solar Envelope Systems for HVAC and Lighting was to answer how solar envelope systems can become common... read more
13 JUL 2020 Digital lighting controls improve user satisfaction Designing energy-efficient lighting for offices and public buildings requires a deep understanding of user requirements. read more
11 JUL 2020 Export champions from Greece offer good value for money The Greek solar thermal industry is an export champion: The total collector area sold to customers abroad tripled from 200,000 m2 to 600,000 m2 in only... read more
10 JUL 2020 Solar cooling concepts for hot climates The just started international research platform Solar Cooling for the Sunbelt region is very popular among research institutions, manufacturers and consultancies... read more
02 JUL 2020 Fact sheets show 30 operational PV-thermal systems PV-thermal installations are extremely versatile systems, and their manufacturers can cater to a wide variety of customers, single- and multi-family building... read more
24 JUN 2020 Success factors in top SDH countries In the last decade, Denmark, China, Germany and Austria played a leading role in the deployment of large solar thermal systems around the world. What country-specific... read more
19 JUN 2020 SBE Heritage conference calls for papers The SBE conference’s 2021 edition will be held under the title SBE Heritage in Bolzano, Italy, between 14 and 16 April 2021. read more
18 JUN 2020 Optimising life-cycle costs in the construction industry A facade to capture solar energy is a particularly appealing option if a solar thermal system is to be integrated into an office or a multi-family building,... read more
11 JUN 2020 SWC/SHC 2019 Proceedings now available We are pleased to announce that the proceedings of the SWC/SHC 2019 are now available online. read more
03 JUN 2020 Round robins improve TCM testing Thermochemical storage materials (TCMs) offer much higher storage capacities by mass or volume than sensible or latent heat storage and can store heat... read more
03 JUN 2020 FINAL SHC Task 55 Expert Meeting - Online Meeting - October 13 - 15 The meeting will be held as a pure virtual/online meeting via ZOOM. Registered participants will receive the ZOOM link in the week before the start of... read more
29 MAY 2020 Product Gallery is ready Visit our gallery and click on the images to access information on the single technologies. read more
21 MAY 2020 Lessons learned from first IEA SHC online meetings “It worked very, very well and we saved a lot of emissions,” said one of the participants in the two-day online workshop organised by research platform... read more
19 MAY 2020 Call for Proposals: SBE21 Heritage The conference will be dedicated to the sustainable improvement of the built heritage, a research area that has grown significantly over the last 10 years... read more
30 APR 2020 Hybrid solutions maximise solar yield per area A record 840 people registered for the PVT solutions for buildings and industry webinar in order to learn more about the wide range of applications in... read more
24 APR 2020 Compact heat battery with virtually no heat loss A compact thermochemical seasonal storage system put up at a demonstration site in Warsaw, Poland, is working as expected. The prototype, developed and... read more
02 MAR 2020 How to reduce energy consumption in historic buildings? Historic buildings make up 30 % of the European building stock and account for more than a third of the total energy consumption in the residential sector... read more
20 FEB 2020 Solar Energy Buildings to make cities fit for the future Buildings account for around 40 % of the world’s primary energy consumption. Hence, they are the number one cause of resource consumption on earth. read more
10 FEB 2020 Using solar steam to clean wastewater Manufacturers have begun looking for solutions to lower the cost of wastewater disposal. One way for them to reduce the volume of contaminated water is... read more
29 JAN 2020 March 25 2020 - A SHC ISES webinar on PVT systems ! Task 60 experts will give a Webinar on PVT on March 2020 on internet. Exact time and how to attend will be communicated as soon as possible. Check also... read more
29 JAN 2020 A solar PVT DHW system studied in DK The performance of the system was assessed using selected key performance indicators. A parametric analysis was performed identifying component sizes that... read more
20 JAN 2020 UK Training Workshop on Renewable Heat for Heat Networks Held in December In December, Triple Point Heat Networks Investment Management, in collaboration with the IEA Solar Heating and Cooling TCP, hosted a workshop in the UK... read more
08 JAN 2020 Compact thermal energy storage: research in cycles Research into compact thermal energy storage is made difficult by the fact that the performance of storage materials depends significantly on their intended... read more
07 JAN 2020 Solar World Congress 2019 Water and energy are the most important resources globally. The term ‘water-energy nexus’ underlines their close connection, and the phrase has become... read more
28 DEC 2019 In search of cost-effective, advanced PCMs Salt hydrates are the most interesting phase change material in the low-temperature range of up to 150 °C. Their volume-related enthalpy at melting is... read more
20 DEC 2019 Solar World Congress : A keynote speech on PVT by Korbinian Kramer On Nov. 4 2019 in Santiago de Chile at the Solar World congress and also SHC 2019 conference, Korbinian our Subtask B leader, gave a talk on PVT. This... read more
01 DEC 2019 Andreas Häberle: First large projects tap the potential of solar industrial heat Electricity is dominating the international discussion about the decarbonisation of the energy sector. In reality, only one-third of our energy demand... read more
01 DEC 2019 Final IEA SHC Task 55 Expert Meeting FINAL Task 55 Expert Meeting: October 13th to15th, 2020 will probably take place in Graz, Austria. We are looking forward to welcome you in Graz in October... read more
27 NOV 2019 Touring exhibition shows retrofits in 11 historic buildings In October, Vienna became the first venue for the new touring exhibition Historic Buildings Energy Retrofit Atlas. At the European Congress on the Use,... read more
10 NOV 2019 IEA SHC Solar Award 2019: French company, KYOTHERM wins for solar thermal third-party ESCO financing KYOTHERM of France wins the International Energy Agency Solar Heating Programme (IEA SHC) SOLAR AWARD. KYOTHERM’s third-party ESCO solution creates a commercial... read more
07 NOV 2019 IEA SHC Solar Award 2019 KYOTHERM of France wins the International Energy Agency Solar Heating Programme (IEA SHC) SOLAR AWARD. KYOTHERM’s third-party ESCO solution creates a commercial... read more
30 OCT 2019 IEA SHC Solar Academy: Material and Component Development for Thermal Energy Storage - November 27, 2019 The International Solar Energy Society is hosting the next webinar in the IEA SHC Solar Academy's 2019 webinar series on Task 58 - Material and Component... read more
30 OCT 2019 Encouraging faster materials development for compact storage Research and industry experts in thermochemical storage materials are invited to participate in a workshop that will take place on 11 and 12 November in... read more
30 SEP 2019 Global support for solar cooling in sunbelt regions Transferring knowledge and solar cooling technology to sunbelt countries in Africa, on the Mediterranean coast and in Asia will be the main aim of a new... read more
19 SEP 2019 Solar planning experts meet in France Between 22 and 24 October, the University of Savoie Mont Blanc in Le Bourget-du-Lac, France, will be the venue for the first meeting about research platform... read more
19 SEP 2019 Webinar: How to use facades to generate solar energy Sept. 3, 2019, SolarThermalWorld.org, by Bärbel Epp read more
13 SEP 2019 Solar District Heating Infographics Available for Download Task 55 has developed eleven infographics to illustrate SDH technologies, advantages and market developments. The files are available as jpgs and pdfs... read more
31 AUG 2019 Best practice examples of urban solar projects exceed expectations Researchers working for the IEA Solar Heating and Cooling programme have created a list of urban solar heat projects that not only met but exceeded the... read more
14 AUG 2019 Publication: Impact of climate change on indoor environment of historic libraries in Mediterranean climate zone NZEB Project Partners at the Izmir Institute of Technology have recently had an article published in the International Journal of Global Warming. It describes... read more
09 AUG 2019 Appropriate refurbishment of traditional buildings Historic Environment Scotland have agreed a partnership with the UK Government’s Energy Saving Trust (EST) in Edinburgh to assist in the dissemination... read more
09 AUG 2019 Collaboration on advising landowners and farms on energy efficient upgrades to traditional rural cottages in Scotland Historic Environment Scotland are working with Scottish Land and Estates (SLE) to advise landowners and farms on how to upgrade traditional rural cottages... read more
02 AUG 2019 SHC solar award: Six successful business models The focus of this year’s Solar Award of the IEA Solar Heating and Cooling Programme (IEA SHC) will be on technology suppliers and financial service providers... read more
12 JUL 2019 Reducing energy consumption in historic buildings A meeting in mid-April, Copenhagen, Denmark, gave members of IEA SHC research platform Renovating Historic Buildings Towards Zero Energy (Task 59) the... read more
12 JUL 2019 New Solar Keymark Network Rules Allow On-Site Testing The Solar Keymark Network has expanded its range of options by including in situ testing. At a meeting in March 2019, a revised version of the Solar Keymark... read more
01 JUL 2019 Konferenz: Die Sonnenhülle zwischen Veränderung und Koexistenz im Gleichgewicht der Orte With the support of the Swiss Federal Office of Energy (SFOE) / Bundesam fuer Energie (BFE) and EnergieSchweiz, as well as cooperation with the magazine... read more
28 JUN 2019 Regional Sustainable Energy Centres join IEA SHC The UNIDO-coordinated Regional Sustainable Energy Centres will become sponsor members of the IEA Solar Heating and Cooling programme, a decision made by... read more
27 JUN 2019 7th IEA SHC Task55 Expert Meeting The 7th IEA SHC Task55 Expert Meeting is taking place Task 55 Expert Meeting: October 7th/8th 2019 District heating industry workshop: October... read more
24 JUN 2019 PV-Thermal collector area tops 1 million PV-Thermal systems, which generate heat and electricity from the same collector, are gaining ever more traction: For the first time, they have now been... read more
17 JUN 2019 Read the Latest Edition - Solar Heat Worldwide 2019 The solar heating and cooling markets show a reversing trend. The majority of the largest markets outside of China saw demand increase for the first time... read more
14 JUN 2019 Cost of PVT: how to calculate ? A LCOH method to calcule the cost of energy from PVT systems read more
04 JUN 2019 Solar heat for desalination and metal recovery Small desalination systems could help fight water scarcity, recover precious metals from industrial water, and treat wastewater from food processing so... read more
03 JUN 2019 Go-to-market strategies for industrial solar heat Within the IEA Solar Heating and Cooling Programme, preparations have been made to establish a new international research platform focusing on nearly market-ready... read more
03 JUN 2019 Seasonal pit heat storage: Cost benchmark of 30 EUR/m3 Denmark has had a steep – but successful – learning curve with regard to the cost and efficiency of seasonal pit heat storage, which is used to store sunlight... read more
03 JUN 2019 German Energy consultants recommend solar thermal The solar thermal industry cannot complain about a lack of enthusiasm among energy consultants: When asked in a survey by Task 54 of the IEA Solar Heating... read more
03 JUN 2019 Solar Cooling at Intersolar 2019 his year’s Intersolar Europe, which took place in Munich, featured a conference session titled Solar, the new cool? Among the speakers at this solar cooling... read more
14 MAY 2019 Task60 has held a webinar on PVT certification in March 2019 In this webinar, moderator Andreas Häberle (SHC Task 60 Subtask D) welcomes Andreas Bohren (Solar Keymark), Laetitia Brottier (DualSun), Shawn Martin... read more
13 MAY 2019 SWOT analysis of building-integrated solar systems April 17, 2019, SolarThermalWorld.org, by Barbel Epp read more
17 APR 2019 GBP 320 million for low-carbon heat networks Heat networks have proved to be a reliable and cost-effective means to supply low-carbon thermal energy. And yet, just 2 % of buildings in the UK are connected... read more
15 APR 2019 2nd Expert Meeting of IEA SHC Task 62 in Almería The 2nd expert meeting of our IEA SHC Task 62 took place from 2nd to 3rd of April in Almería, Spain. Almost 30 experts from all over Europe jonit the... read more
29 MAR 2019 A PVT installation in Spain The solar PVT industry participation from several countries in Task 60 is to be noticed. In Spain a 80-PVT solar hybrid installation located... read more
27 MAR 2019 International Solar Energy Society (ISES) Webinar March 21st 2019 Thank you again very much for participating in last weeks webinar, we had great feedback from the attendees and I think it went very well. The... read more
22 FEB 2019 The market requires simple plug-and-play solutions Spanish-based supplier Endef is seeing increased demand for both its covered and uncovered PV-thermal systems produced in-house in Saragossa. Last year... read more
15 FEB 2019 Solar Award Nominations are Open The Solar Heating and Cooling Award of the IEA SHC Programme celebrates the success of those working to increase the market impact of this renewable energy... read more
14 FEB 2019 Testing collector durability in China How well will evacuated tube collectors made in China hold up after prolonged exposure to sunlight? The answer to this question can be found in a new report,... read more
20 JAN 2019 A top scientific paper from Maria Herrando and al. on PVT collector optimal design The paper is published in Science Direct: Herrando M, Ramos A, Zabalza I, Markides CN. A comprehensive assessment of alternative absorber-exchanger designs... read more
06 JAN 2019 SHC 2019: Call for papers open until February 28 In 2019, the International Conference on Solar Heating and Cooling for Buildings and Industry (SHC) will again take place together with the ISES Solar... read more
04 JAN 2019 Solar air-conditioning training for energy professionals Around 40 attendees from Botswana, Lesotho, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa and Zimbabwe benefitted from a three-day training course on Solar Cooling... read more
31 DEC 2018 Quality and certification can push solar markets That a wider use of quality standards in the solar thermal sector would be increased internationalisation and cost saving for manufacturers was the conclusion... read more
20 DEC 2018 IEA SHC supports historic buildings expert network The 3rd International Conference on Energy Efficiency in Historic Buildings (EEHB 2018), which took place in Sweden in September, proved to be the perfect... read more
12 DEC 2018 PVT in South Africa A new project in Cape Town featuring a PVT solution! www.engineeringnews.co.za/article/15-on-oranges-pvt-energy-system-now-fully-operational-2018-12-11/rep_id:4136See read more
06 DEC 2018 What simulation tools to use for SHIP? As use of solar heat in manufacturing is still at an early stage, planners and engineers require tools to model and compare differently sized systems and... read more
06 DEC 2018 IEA SHC Task 62 presented at 84th ExCo Meeting in Lisbon On November 13-15, the 84th ExCo Meeting was held at LNEG in Lisbon, Portugal. Christoph Brunner, Operating Agent of Task 62, presented the ongoing... read more
27 NOV 2018 Sun meets 90% of district heat demand in Tibet On 29 and 30 October, the Solar Academy of the IEA SHC Programme held a 1.5-day training course on solar district heating in Lianyungang, at Sunrain Solar... read more
18 NOV 2018 PVT and seasonal storage: innovative technologies in Spain Local production of PVT panels and systems which achieve high solar fractions by using seasonal storage: This is the main objective of Spanish start-up... read more
05 NOV 2018 Israeli firm offers large variety of PVT systems Homes, hospitals, hotels, industrial facilities and greenhouses (see photo): These are some of the many uses for turnkey PV systems produced by Millennium... read more
26 OCT 2018 Quality principles for solar air conditioning systems The latest generation of solar air conditioning systems comes in a vast variety of configurations. As shown in the diagram above, their source of energy... read more
23 OCT 2018 Online database on advanced PCMs Compared to water, phase change materials (PCMs) offer more capacity to store heat in tanks. As a consequence, researchers in all corners of the world... read more
12 OCT 2018 Future Meetings & Events Check here for a list of upcoming Task Meetings & Other events yet to be scheduled. read more
10 OCT 2018 Excellent material for sorption-based solar energy storage Microporous hydrophilic substances such as zeolites are recognised as promising materials for very efficient energy storage. Solar thermal systems are... read more
04 OCT 2018 Task 53 Holds Workshop at ISEC Conference On October 3, 2018, participants from IEA SHC Task 53 held a workshop called the Solar Cooling Austrian Workshop in Graz, Austria in conjuction with the... read more
03 OCT 2018 Artur Bobovnický Presentation to IEA's TCP National Coordination Day Artur Bobovnický, our ExCo member from Slovakia, shared why our work is important and the value of participating in the SHC TCP with the Czech audience... read more
14 SEP 2018 New at IEA SHC: Solar neighbourhood planning Case study reporting by research platform Solar Energy in Urban Planning has recently concluded with the publication of an interactive map showing 34 case... read more
08 SEP 2018 Producing hot water underneath natural slates A state-of-the-art solar thermal system has been installed under the slate roof of a castle in Ghent, Belgium. Roll-bonded Thermoslate absorbers measuring... read more
25 AUG 2018 New standard to improve energy performance of historic buildings Maintaining the exterior of a historic building while raising energy efficiency is not necessarily a contradiction. The new EN 16883:2017 standard, Conservation... read more
31 JUL 2018 IEA SHC Task 54 - Final Experts Meeting 19-20 Sep 2018 We're looking forward to our final experts meeting from 19-20 Sep 2018 in Oslo, Norway. More info will be provided on our events section soon. read more
16 JUL 2018 Combining the strengths of collector technologies Task 55 of the IEA SHC Programme is currently studying the benefits of systems equipped with both flat plate and parabolic trough collectors to supply... read more
12 JUL 2018 Solar district heating potential of small towns in Europe Most small European towns connected to a district heating network have enough land available for a solar field to meet 20 % of heat demand. In all, 93... read more
09 JUL 2018 Water-Energy Nexus in Industrial Sector Water and energy are the most important resources globally. The term ‘water-energy nexus’ was coined to underline their close connection, and the phrase... read more
29 JUN 2018 Daniel Mugnier Is New IEA SHC Chairman The new chair of the IEA Solar Heating and Cooling Programme, also known as IEA SHC, will be Daniel Mugnier, a leading expert in solar cooling. Mugnier,... read more
13 JUN 2018 ISES Webinar on Solar Thermal markets and PVT June 12, 2018 see the recording of the 3 presentations and the discussion read more
06 JUN 2018 PVT increasingly used for net zero energy buildings A rising number of manufacturers and suppliers in Europe are offering combined photovoltaic and solar thermal systems, also known as PVT units. This was... read more
06 JUN 2018 On-site collector testing: new standard in development Once a large solar field is set up at its designated location, what tests can be conducted to show that it performs as expected? Soon, the IEA Solar Heating... read more
05 JUN 2018 Hot off the press - Solar Heat Worldwide 2018 With 472 gigawatt thermal (GWth) installed at the end of 2017, solar heating and cooling was again the largest solar sector worldwide followed by Photovoltaics... read more
04 JUN 2018 IEA SHC TASK 55: Trends in April 2018 The 4th Task 55 Expert Meeting, the SHD DHC Joined Workshop and lates project results are highlihted within the latest Task 55 Trends Statement. read more
15 MAY 2018 Q&As from Task 54's Solar Academy webinar available now Questions asked by the participants, answered by Task 54 experts. read more
02 MAY 2018 Building-Integrated Solar Envelopes:Barriers to Deployment Active and passive solar systems integrated into building envelopes are key to combatting climate change. However, there are many barriers which confine... read more
21 APR 2018 Sweden: Pioneer of solar district heating When it comes to district heating, Sweden has made the switch from fossil fuels to biomass and waste heat (see chart). As early as 2015, biomass provided... read more
09 APR 2018 How to Turn Historic Structures into Nearly Zero Energy Buildings More than one-fourth of all residential buildings in Europe date from before 1945. Over the past decade, preservationists have taken to the idea of renovating... read more
05 APR 2018 IEA SHC Webinar: Cost reduction potential above 30 % The key takeaway from an IEA SHC Solar Academy webinar held on 14 March 2018: There is still much room for cost cuts along the entire solar thermal value... read more
28 MAR 2018 Solar Cooling Workshop to be held in Conjunction with Task 53 Experts Meeting One day after the final Task meeting the Solar Cooling Workshop hosted by ILK Dresden will present some major results of Task 53 to the public. read more
22 MAR 2018 International Seminar on the Status of PVT Systems The seminar on the current status of PVT collectors and systems, took place in Freiburg on May 16th prior to the first experts´ meeting of IEA SHC Task... read more
02 MAR 2018 Solar district heating on the Roof of the World A contract to set up a solar district heating network in Langkazi county in Tibet has been awarded to Arcon-Sunmark Large-Scale Solar Systems. read more
02 MAR 2018 Solar cooling increases annual solar fraction Solar cooling could be an effective way to increase the annual solar fraction of domestic hot water production and prevent the solar system from overheating... read more
13 FEB 2018 Daylight and electric lighting: new research initiative The IEA Solar Heating & Cooling Programme has approved Task 61, a new research initiative concentrating on integrated daylight and electric lighting solutions.... read more
10 FEB 2018 SHC Industry Roadmap for Australia Despite Australia’s high levels of solar irradiation and rising energy costs, its solar heating and cooling market has been in decline each year since... read more
07 FEB 2018 IEA SHC Solar Academy: Price Reduction of Solar Thermal Systems IEA SHC Solar Academy Webinar on Price Reduction of Solar Thermal Systems on March 14, 2018, 15:00 - 16:30 read more
01 FEB 2018 IEA SHC Task 52: District Heating Shows Lower Total Socio-Economic Cost in Future Energy System What would the economic impact on a future energy system be if one were to unlock the full solar thermal potential in Austria, Denmark, Germany and Italy? read more
18 JAN 2018 Global certification saves money and time To enter new markets, solar thermal collector manufacturers need to have their products tested and certified as meeting local standards. Thanks to GSCN,... read more
21 DEC 2017 French PVT market is picking up The IEA’s Solar Heating and Cooling Programme will create its own international research platform on PVT systems in January 2018. Researchers and industry... read more
18 DEC 2017 How to approach green construction in the tropical zone While nearly zero energy projects in Europe focus on reducing heat demand, green buildings in tropical Singapore require lower cooling loads. To study... read more
11 DEC 2017 SHC / SWC 2017: Twelve Experts Highlight Success Stories on Tape The 12 video interviews that solarthermalworld.org recorded at the joint conference outlined trends in today's global solar heating and cooling sector... read more
07 DEC 2017 SHC 2017: Largest experts’ meeting on integrated solar heating and cooling NEWS at Solarthermalworld.org: 500 experts from more than 50 countries attended the 5th International Conference on Solar Heating and Cooling... read more
27 NOV 2017 IEA SHC Task 54: Solar Thermal Cost Reductions The objective of IEA SHC Task 54 is to reduce the purchase price of solar thermal systems by up to 40 % across the entire value chain. To achieve this,... read more
08 NOV 2017 Abu Dhabi’s SHC 2017 Conference: Largest experts’ meeting on integrated solar heating and cooling 500 experts from more than 50 countries attended the 5th International Conference on Solar Heating and Cooling (SHC) in Abu Dhabi, UAE, from 30 October... read more
04 NOV 2017 IEA SHC Solar Award 2017 – Austria’s Climate and Energy Fund wins for large-scale solar thermal plant subsidy program Abu Dhabi, UAE, 3 November 2017. The Climate and Energy Fund of Austria wins the International Energy Agency Solar Heating Programme (IEA SHC) SHC SOLAR... read more
03 NOV 2017 LCOH for Reference Systems published Check out the Info Sheets developed by participants in Task 54. read more
24 OCT 2017 Sweden’s Solar Heat Market on Hold The IEA Solar Heating and Cooling (SHC) programme has recently updated its country report on Sweden’s solar thermal industry, pointing out the increasing... read more
17 OCT 2017 SHC Solar Award: Five Finalists with Successful Support Policies Administrators of successful solar thermal support schemes are in the focus of this year’s Solar Award of the IEA Solar Heating and Cooling Programme (IEA... read more
08 OCT 2017 IEA SHC Task 56: Cooperation on Energy Balance and Building Design Tools Facades of residential and tertiary buildings offer enough space for daylight control and HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning) systems. Active... read more
05 OCT 2017 Cooperation on Energy Balance and Building Design Tools Article by B. Epp on SolarThermalWorld.org. read more
04 OCT 2017 IEA SHC Task 52: Solar Thermal’s Role in 2050 Energy Mix What role solar thermal will play in the energy sector in 2050 is one of the principal questions that the international Task 52 research project Solar... read more
29 SEP 2017 IEA SHC: Most Effective Solar Cooling Storage Technologies Scientists from IEA SHC Task 53, New Generation Solar Cooling & Heating Systems, have compared the cost, efficiency and adaptability of solar cooling storage... read more
26 SEP 2017 IEA SHC Solar Academy: Solar Planning in Times of Rapid City Growth Urban planning is a highly complex issue, especially if it involves low-carbon living solutions and environmental regulations. The main objective of the... read more
13 SEP 2017 IEA SHC Task 51: Challenges in Urban Planner Education Cities and large municipalities all around the world have taken the lead in sustainability, and urban planners find themselves in the important position... read more
13 SEP 2017 French Independent Heat Supplier: “Optimise and de-risk all contracts” French-based NewHeat is a rapidly growing start-up. About two years after it was founded in December 2015, management has raised almost EUR 1.8 million... read more
05 SEP 2017 IEA SHC: New Task to Use Solar Energy for Water Treatment On 18 September, there will be a definition meeting for a new task called Solar Energy in Industrial Water Management in Gleisdorf, Austria. The initiator... read more
24 JUL 2017 IEA SHC: Free Pre-Sizing Tool for Solar Heating and Cooling In 2015, Task 48 – Quality Assurance & Support Measures for Solar Cooling – came to an end. One of the activities of this IEA Solar Heating & Cooling Programme... read more
18 JUL 2017 We will need new and innovate designs for heat and mass exchangers Thermochemical materials (TCMs) used in storage tanks show higher heat capacities than water and smaller losses over time. They are crucial to an increase... read more
07 JUL 2017 3rd Meeting of the IEA-SHC Task 55 "Towards the Integration of Large SHC Systems into DHC Networks" The 3rd SHC Task 55 Expert Meeting will be organized along the Solar World Congress 2017 in Abu Dhabi, UAE, which takes place from the 29th of October... read more
06 JUL 2017 The Second Solar Academy Webinar on Solar Heating for Industrial Processes Held The second Solar Academy Webinar on Solar Heating for Industrial Processes was held July 6, 2017 with presentation from Christoph Brunner, Pedro Horta... read more
13 JUN 2017 Cost reduction workshop in Linz, Austria on 04 October 2017 In October 2017, Task 54 presents its first results during a public dissemination workshop and industry round table in Linz, Austria. Both events are linked... read more
13 JUN 2017 Installation Questionnaire Launched Task 54 launched a questionnaire on the installation effort to make cost structures more transparent and to help us understand current obstacles for the... read more
13 JUN 2017 Towards a Solar System Without Electronic Controllers: Conico Valves presents the first one-way valve for heat flow. Conico Valves presents the first one-way valve for heat flow. read more
07 JUN 2017 Release of a MATLAB Toolbox to calculate pressure loss coefficients (zeta values) for T-pieces at low Reynolds numbers One of the key aspects in the design of large solar thermal plants is the hydraulic layout of the collectors and collector arrays. This recently released... read more
26 MAY 2017 Successful Task 54 Workshop in Brussels on 25 May 2016 The first IEA SHC Task 54 workshop was held in the framework of the ESTTP workshop "Solar Thermal Energy for Europe" (24-25 May 2016) in Brussels, Belgium. read more
24 MAY 2017 IEA SHC Task 55: Solar District Heating Means Big Business Solar district heating is attractive business. Not only does this become obvious when looking at the 347 MWth of newly installed SDH capacity in Denmark... read more
22 MAY 2017 IEA SHC Task 54: Investigating Cost Factors Along the Value Chain Researchers have worked intensively for one-and-a-half years across national borders to find ways of reducing the costs of solar thermal systems and making... read more
21 MAY 2017 IEA SHC: New Task to Push Emerging PVT Industry Inventors and start-ups have been trying to combine photovoltaic and solar thermal collectors into one product for many years. Finally, a new industry... read more
16 MAY 2017 Netherlands: Solar Thermal Benefits from SDE+ Solar Heat Tariff The need for highly competitive designs meant that solar thermal had not had much of a chance within the SDE+ programme until the end of 2015. Most of... read more
09 MAY 2017 Thirty Net Zero Energy Buildings in One Book The joint SHC Task 40 / EBC Annex 52 project Towards Net Zero Energy Solar Buildings has been one of the largest of the Technology Collaboration Programmes... read more
12 APR 2017 TWITTER: Task 55 News Task 55 is now on Twitter! Follow the latest Task 55 News HERE. read more
13 MAR 2017 IEA SHC Task 53: Innovative Solar Cooling Systems The biggest challenge for a small market like the solar cooling one – which has still a long way to go – is how to reduce system costs. One way to achieve... read more
20 FEB 2017 Task 53 7th Experts Meeting scheduled for April 19-20 in Messina, Italy The 7th Experts Meeting for IEA SHC Task 53 will be held April 19-20, 2017 in Messina, Italy. read more
30 JAN 2017 2017 SHC Solar Award -- Call for Nominations The SHC Solar Award of the IEA SHC Programme celebrates the work of those committed to increasing the expansion of this renewable energy source. read more
21 DEC 2016 IEA SHC: New PVT System Enhancement Research After seven years, the IEA Solar Heating and Cooling Programme (IEA SHC) is planning to launch another international research cooperation on PVT technology.... read more
15 DEC 2016 National Dissemination Workshop on Polymeric Collectors National Dissemination Workshop on polymeric collectors on 31 January 2017 in Ingolstadt, Germany. read more
29 NOV 2016 Facade-integrated HVAC components pose a Challenge for all parties involved The integration of solar facade solutions into the HVAC and lighting system of a building can only be successful if it is coordinated with architects and... read more
29 NOV 2016 Qatar: Gulf Region’s Sustainability Experts Meet IEA’s Solar Heating and Cooling Specialists 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... read more
29 NOV 2016 Global Solar Certification Network: Facilitating International High-Quality Collector Trade The recent approval of Working Rules means that the Global Solar Certification Network (GSCN) can now accept membership applications. The reuse of test... read more
23 NOV 2016 Facade-integrated HVAC components pose a Challenge for all parties involved Read the article by B. Epp on SolarThermalWorld.org. read more
10 NOV 2016 Cost Study in Switzerland: Solar Thermal Systems Cost Almost Twice as Much as in Austria The Swiss Federal Office of Energy (SFOE) has published a study on end customer prices for solar thermal systems in Switzerland. read more
07 NOV 2016 SHC TASK 55 Kick-Off Meeting in Graz, Austria: About 25 Experts joined the Event 19th - 21st of October 2016: International experts on large scale solar thermal systems, district heating, heat pumps, control strategies, or systems operations... read more
07 NOV 2016 SHC Task 55 at the Green Expo Forum 2016 - Video is now available! The Green Expo Forum 2016 in Doha, Qatar, is a platform for practitioners, experts, regulators and researchers, to discuss various topics on sustainability... read more
04 NOV 2016 IEA SHC Task 46: Bankable Solar Data Sets for Concentrating Technologies Whether investors put their money into large-scale concentrating solar heat and power systems, solar district heating plants or photovoltaic fields, they... read more
24 OCT 2016 IEA SHC Task 50: Lighting Industry Explores Contracting Solutions LED technology has greatly changed the face of the lighting market: In just a few years, lighting systems have become twice as efficient and half as expensive. read more
24 OCT 2016 IEA SHC Task 51: German Summer School Educates Students on Solar Urban Planning The summer school called City in Transition (Stadt im Wandel) ended with a public presentation of the project designs from four student groups on Monday,... read more
20 OCT 2016 Save the Date: SHC 2017 Conference together with ISES Solar World Congress 2017 - October 29 - November 2 The IEA Solar Heating and Cooling Programme and the International Solar Energy Society, ISES are very pleased to announce that their next international... read more
20 OCT 2016 IEA SHC: Attractive Solar Solutions for Urban and Landscape Planning How can urban planners be convinced to consider solar energy technologies in municipality projects? This is the key challenge faced by the international... read more
20 OCT 2016 TASK 45 / 55: Guidelines on How to Design Seasonal Storage Seasonal storage is a key component in the transformation of today’s energy industry. Besides storing energy in summer for heating in winter, it can also... read more
20 OCT 2016 District heating: “The industry is very optimistic about its future prospects” District heating has a long history in Scandinavia: The international symposium on district heating was launched there in 1987. In the meantime, the technology... read more
28 SEP 2016 2nd Experts Meeting at Darmstadt Technical University 23 experts from 16 partner organisations joined the meeting in Darmstadt, on 13 and 14 September, followed by excursions to "ETA Factory - The energy efficient... read more
16 SEP 2016 Launch of Questionnaire on Installation Questionnaire on installation of solar thermal systems now available in German, English and French. read more
09 SEP 2016 Task 54 now on Twitter Task 54 is now on Twitter. You can find us via @IEA_SHC_Task54. Tell us what you think about our goals and join the network. read more
09 SEP 2016 IEA SHC: Cost Reduction Analysis Workshops at German University of Stuttgart http://www.solarthermalworld.org/content/iea-shc-cost-reduction-analysis-workshops-german-university-stuttgart read more
08 AUG 2016 SHC 2015 Proceedings Now Online The SHC 2015 Conference Proceedings are now online. You can view the papers here: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/18766102/91 read more
27 JUL 2016 Slovakia: Newest Member Country of IEA Solar Heating and Cooling Programme Slovakia is the first country from Eastern Europe to join the IEA Solar Heating and Cooling Programme (IEA SHC). read more
26 JUL 2016 KOST / TEWISOL Information Day, 5 October 2016 ITW Stuttgart, Pfaffenwaldring 10, 70569 Stuttgart, 5 October 2016, 12:00 - 16:00 read more
26 JUL 2016 Solar Thermal Costs Published in Solar Heat World Wide 2016 Webinar: Global View on Solar Heating and Cooling Market online read more
26 JUL 2016 3rd Task 54 Experts Meeting in Stuttgart, Germany Join the 3rd Task 54 Experts Meeting in Stuttgart, 6-7 October 2016. read more
15 JUL 2016 Task 56 Partners session at Advanced Building Skins conference Five presentations from Task 56 partners will be given in Session D1 "Façade Integrated HVAC components" at the 11th Conference on Advanced Building Skins,... read more
06 JUL 2016 China: Challenges and Opportunities of World’s Largest Solar Thermal Market Reduced real estate investment has been the key reason for the strong decline of China’s solar thermal market. In 2015, the collector area installed annua read more
06 JUL 2016 German Energy Transformation Scenarios: Solar Thermal As Optional, Not Mandatory Technology for Least Cost Solutions How much will the transformation of the German energy industry cost if it is to reach greenhouse gas emissions reductions of at least 80 % by 2050? read more
29 JUN 2016 ISO 9806 is being revised ISO 9806 is being revised with approval expected before end of 2016. read more
21 JUN 2016 IEA SHC Publishes 2016 Edition of its Seminal Report -- Solar Heat Worldwide The International Energy Agency, Solar Heating and Cooling Programme (IEA SHC) released the 2016 edition of its report on the global status of the solar... read more
09 JUN 2016 IEA SHC Solar Award – Brau Union Austria wins for putting the sun in beer The Green Brewery Göss wins the International Energy Agency Solar Heating Programme (IEA SHC) SHC SOLAR AWARD. Brewery Göss has taken the path-breaking... read more
31 MAY 2016 Levelised Cost of Heat and the Calculations behind It The main objective of IEA SHC Task 52, Solar Thermal in Energy Supply Systems in Urban Environments, is to call attention to both the technical and economic... read more
26 MAY 2016 Austria: Award-Winning Energy Service Company Publishes ESCO Model Fact Sheets Energy Service Companies (ESCO) have become pioneers in the development of financing and operating models for various energy sector customers. Every two... read more
16 MAY 2016 International Solar Energy Society Joins IEA SHC The IEA SHC Programme welcomes the International Solar Energy Society (ISES) as its newest Sponsor member. read more
16 MAY 2016 IEA SHC: Industry Workshop in Spain Shows Solar Cooling’s Global Opportunities The latest R&D developments in solar cooling presented during a workshop in Madrid, Spain, on 11 April sparked great interest among the attendees from... read more
16 MAY 2016 IEA SHC: Task 56 Kick-Off Meeting on Building Integrated Solar Almost 30 experts from 25 partner organisations met in Bolzano, Italy, on 21 and 22 March for the kick-off meeting of IEA SHC Task 56, Building Integrated... read more
16 MAY 2016 IEA SHC TASK 51: “Integrate Energy Perspectives into Spatial Planning of Urban Areas” During COP21 in Paris last December, 1,000 mayors and local leaders pledged themselves to a 100 % renewable future of their municipalities by 2050. read more
12 MAY 2016 Harmonizing Hashtags in Your Posts Three major solar heating and cooling institutions – the European Solar Thermal Industry Federation (ESTIF), the IEA Solar Heating and Cooling Programme... read more
12 APR 2016 2nd experts meeting takes place in Florence, Italy from 3-4 May 2016 For more information, please see our events page. read more
05 APR 2016 Postponed: SHC Task 54 Workshop in Brussels, Belgium NEW DATE: May 25th, 12:30 - 14:00, Brussels, Belgium Due to the recent events in Brussels the Organizing Committee of the ESTTP decided to postpone... read more
03 APR 2016 Successful start of Task 56 Summary of the meeting and interview with the Operating Agent at Solarthermalworld.org. read more
29 MAR 2016 4th Meeting in the Global Solar Certification Network The 4th Meeting of the Global Solar Certification Network was held in Berlin in March 2016. The revised Working Rules for the Global Solar Certification... read more
29 MAR 2016 First Task 57 Experts meeting held in Berlin March 2016. The First Task 57 Experts Meeting was held on March 10-11, 2016 in Berlin, Germany. read more
04 MAR 2016 SHC2015: “Participants were very confident about the future of solar thermal” Yesilata was the scientific chair of the international solar thermal conference SHC2015, which took place in Istanbul at the beginning of December 2015.... read more
04 MAR 2016 Solar Process Heat: "It all depends on the conventional heating equipment" Dr Bastian Schmitt can look back at more than ten years of experience in the field of solar process heat. As part of his doctoral thesis, the mechanical... read more
22 FEB 2016 ISES Joins SHC as a New Sponsor Member The International Solar Energy Society (ISES) has joined the IEA Solar Heating and Cooling Programme as a Sponsor member with Dr. David Renne as the ExCo... read more
19 FEB 2016 Germany: One Week, Three Global Solar Certification and Standardisation Meetings in Berlin Between 8 and 11 March, Berlin will be the venue of choice for standard and certification experts from all corners of the globe. read more
18 FEB 2016 Task Definition Workshop: Compact Thermal Energy Storage Task Definition Meeting for the new IEA SHC and ECES joint Task/Annex Compact THermal Energy Storage will be held in Graz, Austria, on April 6-8, 2016. read more
04 FEB 2016 Solar Heating & Cooling Technology News & Trends The International Conference on Solar Heating and Cooling for Buildings and Industry, SHC 2015, in Istanbul brought together 233 researchers, industry... read more
22 JAN 2016 Austria: Optimising of Large-scale Collector Fields One key aspect of the energy and cost optimisation of large-scale collector fields (called arrays in this news) is collector array hydraulics. Optim