SHC News

Design Guidelines for Urban Surface Uses in Solar Neighborhoods – a way to enter the results of Task 63

These guidelines are a good starting point if you are interested in Solar Neighborhood Planning.

Upcoming Solar Academy Webinar: Manufacturing and Design for Reliability and Durability in Solar Thermosyphon Hot Water Systems

Join this session of the IEA SHC Solar Academy webinar series, where experts on solar hot water collector manufacturing, design, and operation will come...

SHC Task on Solar Energy Buildings highlights Task results in new video

SHC Task 66: Solar Energy Buildings turns to video to summarize the Task's final results and findings. Enjoy the show!

Solar Neighborhood Decision-Making Tool and user manual

How to develop and design a solar neighborhood? A tool was developed to support the planning of neighborhoods, considering passive and active solar strategies.

Standardization and adaption of solar cooling kits for sunbelt regions

The future markets for solar thermal cooling systems are in the global south. The IEA study The Future of Cooling predicts that by 2050 37 % of total electricity...

Task 71 workshop on LCA and LCOH for heating and cooling technologies October 8, 2024

The workshop is organized by the IEA Task 71 project: Life Cycle and Cost Assessment for Heating and Cooling Technologies.

Technical and efficiency-orientated comparison of solar collectors for district heating

A large number of different collector types are available for planners to integrate into district heating systems. A recent report by the IEA Solar Heating...

Task 67: Standardizing Thermal Energy Storage Measurement Procedures

The IEA SHC Programme and the IEA Energy Storage Programme began collaborating in 2009. In this third joint Task on Compact Thermal Energy Storage: Materials...

Task 65: Design Guidelines for Solar Cooling Applications

The widespread adoption of solar cooling technology in the market is not solely driven by the system’s technical and economic aspects.

TASK 63 INTERVIEW with Maria Wall on Solar Neighborhood Planning

The SHC Programme finalized its work on Solar Neighborhood Planning (SHC Task 63) this past April. To learn first-hand about the Task’s impact, we asked the...

Task 63: Planning for Enhanced Solar Access and Utilization in Neighborhoods

IEA SHC Task 63: Solar Neighborhood Planning completes the work after more than four years, working on solar strategies, planning aspects, business models,...

Market and technology trends in the global PVT sector

Europe is the leading region worldwide for PVT technology. Of the global 1.6 million m2 of PVT collectors in operation, 64 % are installed in Europe. The...

Fine-tuning phase change materials

Compact thermal energy storage can be achieved with a large number of materials. To reduce costs, a high energy density of the storage material at optimal...

ENGAGED – a multi-stage framework for participatory urban planning

Stakeholder engagement is a hot topic in the discussion about positive energy communities or districts. Some understand it as simply informing citizens...

“District heating has never had such a high significance in Germany"

In Germany, one record-breaking plant is being built after another. Solar district heating is a large, rapidly growing business.

Stakeholder viewpoints on solar energy buildings

How important do you find aspects such as performance, financing and the environment in relation to solar energy buildings?

Facilitating the private sector on the way to climate neutrality

The IEA Solar Heating and Cooling Programme wants to help industries and associations identify their environmental footprint.

Energy carriers from solar-powered reactors

In future, a lot of green hydrogen will be needed in industry as an energy carrier.

Investigation of the boost effect of heat pumps in solar district heating

During their most recent meeting in Sweden in October the district heating experts from the IEA SHC Programme discussed the impact of integrating heat...

Making the right decisions for lighting retrofit – now!

It is the time of the lighting retrofit in Europe. Since September 2023 all fluorescent lighting – tubes and bulbs - have been banned from sale in the...

Overview of design tools and models for solar cooling systems

The knowledge hub for solar cooling and air conditioning within the IEA SHC Programme contains a number of new reports.

How can the grid load of PV water heating systems in Australia be minimized

During the Asia-Pacific Solar Research Conference in December in Melbourne, Australia, the IEA SHC Task 69 Solar Hot Water for 2030 team organized a Special...

Task 64 Releases New Technology Position Paper

The latest Technology Position Paper is on Solar Heat for Industrial Processes (SHIP).

Commercially available products and champions of PCMs and TCMs

The Compact Thermal Energy Storage group within the IEA Solar Heating and Cooling programme investigates new materials for storing heat and develops standard...

Task 63: 10 Questions on Solar Neighborhood Planning and Design Strategies

10 key questions, 12 authors, and 2 years of drafting time led to a comprehensive paper on planning and design strategies for solar neighborhoods published...

Task 64: Solar Thermal at Work

The inauguration of the 30 MW parabolic trough plant at the Heineken factory in Seville, Spain, on 30 September 2023 was exactly on time.

Task 65: Sunbelt Chiller – An Innovative Solar Cooling Adaption

In 2016, air conditioning accounted for nearly 20% of the total electricity demand in buildings worldwide and is growing faster than any other energy consumption in...

Task 70: Making the right decisions, now!

The new IEA SHC LED Guideline for the Promotion of Lighting Retrofitting provides suggestions for accelerating the replacement of old lighting systems,...

Solar Energy Buildings Around the World

The analysis of 20 Solar Energy Buildings demonstration cases is wrapping up in IEA SHC Task 66 on Solar Energy Buildings. In this article, you will preview...

Interdisciplinary author team answers ten questions concerning planning and design strategies for solar neighborhoods

10 key questions, 12 authors and two years of drafting time led to a comprehensive paper on planning and design strategies for solar neighborhoods, which...

Technical tour to Europe´s largest solar industrial heat plant at Heineken Spain

Photo: Alan Pino Araya / IEA SHC Task 64 The inauguration of the 30 MW parabolic trough plant at the Heineken factory in Seville, Spain, on 30 September...

IEA SHC Solar Academy training in Cape Verde with high visibility

The IEA Solar Heating and Cooling Programme pursues a multidimensional approach to support the market transformation of solar cooling.

There is high potential for using solar energy in wastewater treatment

In a circular economy the efficient supply of carbon-free energy and the recovery of resources as well as the treatment of wastewater must go hand in hand.

Demo projects of high-solar-fraction buildings carefully analysed

The IEA Solar Heating and Cooling Programme addresses the question of what is needed to reach a high degree of self-sufficiency in solar energy buildings...

Open data sets have great importance when analysing and optimising operation strategies for solar district heating plants

A complete annual data set of monitoring results for a solar district heating plant is an important prerequisite for meaningful simulations of such systems...

Tests of solar water heaters in China aim at improving standards

More than a third of the newly installed collector area in 2021 globally was thermosiphon systems. They dominate sales in many Asian and Latin American...

Carbon footprint assessment of various types of solar water heaters

The Johannes Kepler University Linz (JKU) wants to support the IEA Solar Heating and Cooling Programme with life cycle analysis of solar water heaters.

Solar thermal achieves highest level of "real" climate neutrality

The term “climate neutral” is omnipresent today. But there is no generally accepted official definition of climate neutrality. Instead there are three...

First IEA SHC Task 71 Workshop "How to determine ecological and economical heating and cooling solutions for a sustainable future"

Register now for the first Task 71 Workshop with the topic: How to determine ecological and economical heating and cooling solutions for a sustainable...

New LCA and LCoH Task Welcomes Participants & Collaboration

As announced in the Solar Update Newsletter, Issue 76 (December 2022), IEA SHC Task 71 on Life Cycle and Cost Assessment for Heating and Cooling Technologies...

Solar District Heating Info Package for Cities and Towns

New Conversion Factor for Concentrating Collector Statistics

A factor of 0.7 kWth per square meter of aperture collector area for the conversion of area to power for statistics on concentrating collectors is an essential...

Task 62 Interview with Christoph Brunner

The SHC Programme finalized its work on Solar Energy in Industrial Water and Wastewater Management (SHC Task 62) at the end of 2022. To learn first-hand...

Solar Energy’s Potential for Water and Wastewater Treatment

Within the industry’s transition to a circular economy, sustainable wastewater treatment and recovery should be reached without excessive strain on limited...

Cost reduction potential through prefabricated and standardized balance of plants

Standardized, modular interfaces for the integration of solar heat into factories can reduce solar heat system costs significantly.

Solar District Heating Info Package for Cities and Towns

Among the 6,000 cities and towns in Europe with district heating, 266 already feed solar heat into their grid. For municipalities that plan to expand and...

Innovations in the front-running solar district heating country Denmark

The Danish solar district heating sector is a role model for the world. Researchers from IEA SHC Task 68 Efficient Solar District Heating met in the Danish...

IEA SHC recommends conversion factor 0.7 kWth/m2 for statistics on concentrating collectors

The IEA Solar Heating and Cooling Programme (IEA SHC) recommends the factor of 0.7 kWth per square metre of aperture collector area for the conversion...

International seminar on solar and daylight planning in urban environments

Within the framework of IEA SHC Task 63 Solar Neighborhood Planning, NTNU and Multiconsult, Norway, arranged an international seminar on solar and daylight...

Paving the way for solar access in Sweden and Norway

How can urban planners secure the right to light and the right to solar access when densifying urban areas?

SDH info package to be presented during webinar in March

Decarbonising the around 6,000 district heating networks in Europe is a challenging task in the next decade.

Low-carbon and high-comfort integrated lighting

Anyone interested in research in the field of efficient lighting in buildings will definitely come across Jan de Boer. He chairs the Lighting Technology...

Business and financing models – a clear distinction

Non-technical barriers often play a critical role when it comes to increasing the number of solar cooling systems in the sunbelt countries. Business and...

IEA SHC investigates cost reduction potential of solar district heating

Transparency about costs makes claims more credible and helps energy modellers. For these reasons the IEA SHC Task 68 on Efficient Solar District Heating...

Stability testing is needed to investigate the market readiness of compact thermal energy storage materials

Stability is a key issue when evaluating new phase-change materials (PCMs) or thermochemical materials (TCMs) for thermal energy storage. A loss of stability...

How planners use tools to assess solar potential in neighborhoods

Digital tools play an increasingly important role in urban planning. Researchers from the IEA Solar Heating and Cooling Programme have cooperated on solar...

Task 68: Fault-Detective – Fault Detection Based on Artificial Intelligence

Good monitoring is essential to ensure the performance of solar thermal systems. Only then can solar al systems live up to their full...

Task 65: Future Potential of Solar Cooling

The energy demand for air-conditioning is growing faster than any other energy consumption in buildings.The main share of the projected growth for space...

Task 64: Tips and Tricks to Contract and Design a SHIP Project

It can be a big challenge to contract and design a SHIP (Solar Heat for Industrial Processes) project. SHC Task 64 on Solar Process Heat is working...

Analysing 126 solar energy buildings across Europe

The revision of the Energy Performance of Buildings directive tightens the energy standards for buildings across the European Union. The member states...

Tips and tricks regarding design and success factors for SHIP

It is generally a big challenge to contract and design solar industrial heat projects (SHIP).

Solar district heating solutions providing higher temperatures

A well-attended second meeting of the research group IEA SHC Task 68 Efficient Solar District Heating took place at the beginning of November. A total...

Etango Magazine: SOLTRAIN funded ORVI Social Housing Project Wins IEA SHC 2022 Solar Award

The Orange River Vineyards Investment (ORVI) social housing project in Aussenkehr, in southern Namibia, is the winner of the prestigious International...

Life cycle assessment for solar thermal systems

The IEA Solar Heating and Cooling Programme will start a cross-sectoral research group on life cycle and cost assessment (LCA).

Optimised PVT and heat pump combinations for heating and cooling of buildings

In combination with the Eurosun 2022 conference, the second IEA SHC Task 66 industry workshop entitled "Solar thermal and/or PVT combined with heat pumps...

IEA SHC Solar Award winner: social housing project in Namibia

The ORVI Social Housing Project in Namibia has won the IEA SHC 2022 Solar Award. Leonhard Eins, Managing Director of the Namibian company Solsquare Energy,...

Future potential of solar cooling in the sunbelt region

The energy demand for air-conditioning is growing faster than any other energy consumption in buildings. The main share of the projected growth for space...

Small carbon footprint of large solar field in France

Green technologies also have a carbon footprint. Energy is used for raw materials, production, transport and operation. Life cycle assessment (LCA) for...

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...

IEA SHC initiative to increase quality and market volumes of smart solar hot water systems

Providing reliable and long-lasting solar-driven hot water solutions for households – this is the main objective of the planned research platform called...

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...