SHC News

Heat pumps: Competition or complement in district heating?

For decades, the Danish solar district heating sector has been a shining example for the world. And with the help of new heat pump-solar hybrid designs,...

Eurosun 2022: Engaging keynotes by a unique mix of policy and research experts

From 26 to 29 September, Kassel, Germany, will be the venue for the Eurosun 2022 conference.

Solar Neighborhoods - Strategies and Application Case Studies

The University of Calgary’s School of Architecture, Planning, and Landscape (SAPL) is inviting industry, policy makers, partners, faculty, students, and...

Insights into global PVT market development

The demand for PVT collectors has grown rapidly in the last two years. Annual sales of PVT capacity increased 57% to 167,165m2 in 2021, after growth of...

Testing improved thermochemical heat storage in a real environment

Source: AEE INTEC (Photo taken from the recording of the session) The session Emerging Heat and Cold Storages during the ISEC conference in April...

Ammonia recovery to serve as fertilizer and energy fuel

Production of ammonia as a fertilizer is a huge global industry with an enormous energy demand. The Austrian institute AEE INTEC has successfully operated...

Certification and labelling: Experts answer questions from the industry

Third-party quality control is key for consumers. Labelling of products supports customers in taking the right decisions. For solar collectors in Europe,...

How to get renewable energy to buildings in dense urban areas

On 23 March 2022, the first industry workshop organised by IEA SHC Task 66 – Solar Energy Buildings showcased solar building ideas from different corners...

Guidelines for wastewater treatment technologies in preparation

Operating a water treatment plant is a complex task in itself. If you start thinking about using solar energy to drive certain separation or disinfection...

Support joint marketing efforts for solar district heating

At a workshop set to take place on 4 and 5 April in Graz, Austria, the IEA Solar Heating and Cooling Programme will launch a new research platform about...

Global Solar Certification Network and Solar Heating Initiative join forces

“Unite for solar heat” is the idea behind a new alliance forged between the Global Solar Certification Network and the Solar Heating Initiative.

Training Workshop Explores Economic and Technical Aspects of Solar Cooling in Southern Africa

The IEA SHC Solar Academy and SOLTRAIN (Southern African Solar Thermal Training and Demonstration Initiative) hosted with the support of SACREEE and SANEDI...

Solar Process Heat Simulation Tools to Assess Yield

Solar process heat system yields are simulated during feasibility studies and have a decisive influence on the profitability of the project investment....

Interview: Renovating Historic Buildings Towards Zero Energy

In November, the IEA SHC Programme finalized its work on Renovating Historic Buildings Towards Zero Energy (SHC Task 59/EBC Annex 76). To learn first-hand about...

Taking Solar Neighborhood Tools to the Classroom

Solar neighborhoods are a piece in the puzzle in achieving net-zero energy districts and low-carbon cities. This is why the IEA SHC Task 63: Solar...

INTERVIEW: Integrated Solutions for Daylighting and Electric Lighting

The SHC Programme finalized its work on Integrated Solutions for Daylighting and Electric Lighting (SHC Task 61/EBC Annex 77) in November. To learn...

Task 61 The Best From Both Worlds: Integrated Solutions For Daylight and Electric Lighting

The IEA SHC Programme has worked on different lighting aspects over the years. The first SHC Tasks looked solely into the benefits of efficient daylight...

New tool provides over 150 solutions for historic building retrofits

A new web application named HiBERtool helps practitioners find the perfect solution for the conservation of historic buildings.

#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...

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....

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...

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...

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...

Large-Scale Solar Thermal District Heating and Cooling: One on One with Sabine Putz

The SHC Programme wrapped up its third project on large solar systems (Task 55) in December 2020. To learn how the Task impacted this market sector,...

Integrating Large SHC Systems into District Heating and Cooling Networks

Integrating large-scale solar thermal plants into district heating and cooling grids is playing a crucial role in many countries’ energy transformation...

PVT Systems: One on One with Jean-Christophe Hadorn

The SHC Programme completed its most recent work on PVT Systems (Task 60) in December 2020. To learn how this Task impacted this market sector,...

PVT Systems: Heat or Electricity From Solar – Why Only One When You Can Have Both?

A solar PV/Thermal (PVT) collector produces both heat and electricity thanks to a combination of a PV panel and a solar thermal collector or absorber....

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...

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...

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...

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...

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,...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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.

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

END of Task 60

Task 60 has officially ended on Dec 31, 2020.

SBE keynote speakers announced

Get inspired by SBE21 Heritage Keynote Speakers Dr. Ege Yildirim and Prof. Harald Garrecht.

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...

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...

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...

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...

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.

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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.

Fact sheets TASK 55 available

TASK 55 ends soon! Currently the fact sheets are in finalization. There are already some fact sheets downloadable.

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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,...

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...

Digital lighting controls improve user satisfaction

Designing energy-efficient lighting for offices and public buildings requires a deep understanding of user requirements.

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...

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...

Report A1 of Task 60 about PVT examples is discussed on solarthermalworld,com

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...

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.

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,...

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...

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...

Product Gallery is ready

Visit our gallery and click on the images to access information on the single technologies.

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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.

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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,...

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...

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...

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...

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...

Webinar: How to use facades to generate solar energy

Sept. 3, 2019, SolarThermalWorld.org, by Bärbel Epp

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

Cost of PVT: how to calculate ?

A LCOH method to calcule the cost of energy from PVT systems

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

SWOT analysis of building-integrated solar systems

April 17, 2019, SolarThermalWorld.org, by Barbel Epp

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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,...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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

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...

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...

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...

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...

Abora on solarthermalworld.org

ABORA systems are making market insights

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...

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...

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...

Future Meetings & Events

Check here for a list of upcoming Task Meetings & Other events yet to be scheduled.

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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.

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...

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...

ISES Webinar on Solar Thermal markets and PVT June 12, 2018

see the recording of the 3 presentations and the discussion

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...

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...

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.

Q&As from Task 54's Solar Academy webinar available now

Questions asked by the participants, answered by Task 54 experts.

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...

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...

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...

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...

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.

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...

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.

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...

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....

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...

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

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?

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,...

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...

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...

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,...

LCOH for Reference Systems published

Check out the Info Sheets developed by participants in Task 54.

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...

Cooperation on Energy Balance and Building Design Tools

Article by B. Epp on SolarThermalWorld.org.

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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.

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...

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.