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Sweden: Multi-Family Buildings Use Low Return Temperatures to Optimise Solar Yield
A greater difference of supply and return temperature in a heating circuit increases the share of energy which can be utilised from a solar thermal system or another renewable energy source. With this in mind, Swedish company Alfa Laval developed the highly efficient heat interface unit called Mini City and …
India: Investment in Tank and Vacuum Tube Collector Production
The solar thermal industry in India is serving the strongly growing demand with additional manufacturing capacities of solar water heaters based on vacuum tube technology. This news piece presents two examples of solar manufacturers, V-Guard Industries and Inter Solar Systems, which have invested INR 180 million (EUR 2.1 million) and …
South Africa: Rollout Delay Due to “70 % local production”
Five years ago, the South African government launched its National Solar Water Heating Programme (NSWHP), aiming to install one million domestic Solar Water Heating (SWH) systems by 2014. Relief needed to come soon to South Africa´s overburdened power grid, which is why state-owned electricity provider Eskom implemented the NSWHP in …
Austria: All-in-One Climate Protection
Two blocks of flats in Kapfenberg, Austria, were turned into energy-plus buildings this year (see photo). Prefabricated facades and building service elements were the basis for a fast and efficient retrofit, which is part of the project “e80^3 Buildings – reconstruction concepts towards energy plus house standard with prefabricated active …
Iran: POMAco’s View on Iranian Solar Thermal Market
After Iran’s elections in June and the new government taking over in August, hopes are that solar thermal could become an increasingly important technology in the Mideast country. Hossein Riyahi Dehkordi, Managing Director of Iranian solar company Polar Mehr Iranian – POMAco, expects the new government to improve the existing …
Chile: President Inaugurates Solar Field with 27.5 MWth
In the middle of October, Chile´s President Sebastián Piñera inaugurated the currently world´s largest solar thermal field with 27.5 MWth (39,300 m² of collector area). The system supplies heat to the Gaby copper mine of state-owned mining company Codelco. It is located in the high central desert, 100 km south …
Brazil: Two Different Types of Social Housing Projects and Their Approach to Quality
The social housing segment is one of the market drivers in Brazil. In 2013, state programme Minha Casa Minha Vida (My Home My Life) is said to account for 17 % of the more than 1.2 million m2 of newly installed glazed and unglazed collector area. These are the latest …
COPANT: One Common Standard – Better than 31 Different Ones?
To date, solar thermal energy has been a largely unregulated technology in Latin America. Most of the countries in the region are suffering from nationalised, uncoordinated and sometimes insufficient quality standards. This lack of agreement is hindering the development of a shared and mature market. The regional Pan American Standards …
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