The SHC Programme finalized its work on Solar Cooling for the Sunbelt Regions (SHC Task 65) this year. To learn first-hand about the Task’s impact, we asked the Task 65 Manager, Uli Jakob of Dr. Jakob energy research GmbH & Co. KG in Germany, to share his thoughts on this 4-year project.
 

The widespread adoption of solar cooling technology in the market is not solely driven by the system’s technical and economic aspects. Equally important is having a systematic approach for designing and installing systems in different climates and technology that can be easily managed by professionals who are not experts on the specific technology. It is for this reason, IEA SHC Task 65 on Solar Cooling for the Sunbelt Regions has published “Design Guidelines.

In addition to SACREEE (responsible for Southern Africa) and RCREEE (responsible for North Africa and the MENA region), with which strong cooperation has existed for several years, the cooperation with the ECOWAS Centre for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (ECREEE) is now also being intensified. As a first step, on-site training for 27 West African experts was conducted within the IEA SHC Solar Academy framework on October 10-12, 2023, in Cape Verde.

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 buildings. The main share of the projected growth in energy use for air conditioning comes from emerging economies. Recognizing this developing market, in July 2020, IEA SHC Task 65 on Solar Cooling for the Sunbelt Regions began its work on innovations for affordable, safe and reliable solar cooling systems for the Sunbelt region. The “innovation” is the adaptation of existing concepts/technologies to the Sunbelt regions using solar energy.

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 cooling comes from emerging economies and will more than triple by 2050 to 6,000 TWh/a globally. What could be the contribution of PV and solar thermal cooling to meet this increasing demand in the next decade? This was the key question that Dr. Uli Jakob, Task Manager of SHC Task 65 on Solar Cooling for the Sunbelt Region, elaborated on in his keynote presentation, The Future of Solar Cooling, at EuroSun 2022.

The IEA SHC Solar Academy and SOLTRAIN (Southern African Solar Thermal Training and Demonstration Initiative) hosted with the support of SACREEE and SANEDI a specialized course for professionals on Solar Cooling for Sunbelt Regions in November at Stellenbosch Institute for Advanced Study in South Africa. A total of 46 participants from 7 countries took part, with around 8 of them participating virtually.
 

About 30 consultants, researchers, manufacturers, grid operators and CCREEE staff joined a two-day training course organized by the Caribbean Centre for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (CCREEE) as part of the SHC Solar Academy. CCREEE, the newest member of the SHC Programme, welcomed the opportunity to learn about Austria and Greece’s solar thermal work and the new SHC project, Task 65 on Solar Cooling for the Sunbelt Regions.
 

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 focuses on innovations for affordable, safe, and
reliable solar cooling systems in sunbelt regions. The primary driver for continuing this work is that air-conditioning accounts for nearly 20% of the total electricity demand in buildings worldwide and is growing faster than any other energy use in buildings. If measures are not taken to counteract this increase, the demand for space cooling will almost triple by 2050, with estimates reaching 6,200 TWh or 30% of the total electricity use in buildings.

IEA SHC Task 65 on Solar Cooling for the Sunbelt Regions concluded after four years of investigating how to adapt, verify, and promote solar cooling (solar thermal and PV) as an affordable and reliable solution to the growing cooling demand in the world’s Sunbelt regions - the Global South. Eighty-three experts from 17 countries, including four UNIDO GN-SEC (Global Network – Sustainable Energy Centres) countries (Egypt, Mozambique, Uganda, and Zimbabwe) analyzed the adaptation of existing technologies to the specific boundary conditions and optimization in terms of investment and operating cost and their environmental impact. Generally, they focused on the combination of cost reduction, simplifications of the systems, and stimulation of market conditions through policies. This article highlights the key results for implementation/adaptation of components and systems for the different boundary conditions to develop a market uptake of solar cooling in the Sunbelt regions.