Foundation to Support Proliferation of Solar Keymark Quality Standard

The Solar Keymark Network is about to establish a foundation to support the further proliferation of this quality standard. The reason for this decision can be traced back to a change in the definition of types and sub types by the European Committee for Standardization (CEN) and its subsequent reduction in the fees at the beginning of this year.

The Solar Keymark Network has chosen to invest part of the reduced fees into a Solar Keymark Foundation. The fees per Network license have therefore been increased. Jan Erik Nielsen, Secretary of the Solar Keymark Network and employee of Danish consultancy firm Planenergi, expects proceeds of approximately EUR 100,000 in 2010. Annual funding will increase as long as the number of licenses does. Nielsen expects the Solar Keymark Foundation’s annual receipts to reach EUR 180,000 by 2013, as shown in his presentation at the international industry workshop in Southern Germany in February (see the attached presentation).

Those funds are to be spent on Solar Keymark-related activities, such as printing brochures, campaigning for the acceptance of the quality label outside of Europe and promoting the use of Solar Keymark and related European Standards in general.

According to Nielsen, one other important task for the future will be the increase in flexibility regarding product changes, for example the exchange of absorber coatings, glass covers or insulations. Possible solutions are the development of a list of equivalent coatings or the procedure of evaluating of coatings. A first call for projects by the then newly established Solar Keymark Foundation is planned later this year.

More information:
http://www.solarkeymark.org