After record-high growth in 2011 and 2012, the Polish solar thermal market will most probably only keep the market volume of last year - or even show a small reduction in 2013. The market development, however, has been interpreted differently by the national associations. The Association of Manufacturers and Importers of Heating Appliances which mainly represents flat plate collector manufacturers, has recorded a disappointing market performance this year, whereas the Society of Vacuum Tube Collector Importers and Distributors (about to be established) had seen a strongly growing market at least until September, when the regulations of the national residential incentive programme were changed.

In the middle of October, Chile’s President Sebastián Piñera inaugurated the 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. The mining company profited from fixed energy prices, so Codelco could plan ahead without having to worry about market fluctuations, the president said. Indeed, Codelco has signed an agreement with the Chilean company Pampa Elvira Solar to deliver solar heat to the mining factory over a 10-year period. Pampa Elvira Solar owns the solar field and is responsible for its operation 24/7, 365 days a year. 

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. V-Guard Industries and Inter Solar Systems for example have invested INR 180 million (EUR 2.1 million) and INR 100 million (EUR 1.2 million) in new factories, respectively. V-Guard Industries has now opened its second manufacturing line with a capacity of 90,000 solar water heater units annually. Inter Solar Systems plans to produce 64,000 tanks combined with vacuum tubes and 20,000 flat plate collector tanks in the first phase.