International Energy Agency’s Solar Heating and Cooling Programme
The IEA Solar Heating and Cooling (SHC) Programme has over 35 years of international collaborative work in the field of research, development, demonstration (RD&D) and test methods for solar thermal energy and solar buildings. The results of this work are available for researchers, policy makers, industry, utility and business representatives, builders, architects and teachers
The IEA SHC Programme is a member-based Programme with 20 member countries and 5 member organizations. Its mission is “To enhance collective knowledge and application of solar heating and cooling through international collaboration to fulfill its vision of solar thermal energy meeting 50% of low temperature heating and cooling demand by 2050.”
Highlighted in the section below are some of our most recent publications:
IEA-RETD: Lessons Learned from 21 Renewable Projects in Industry
Three years after the International Renewable Energy Agency underlined in its June 2014 Renewable Energy in Manufacturing study the great potential for using renewables in industry, the International Energy Agency has published a comprehensive report on the same topic. It is titled Fostering renewable energy integration in the industry and …
IEA Task 51: Challenges in Urban Planner Education
Cities and large municipalities all around the world have taken the lead in sustainability, and urban planners find themselves in the important position of having to devise solutions for integrating renewable and energy efficiency measures at local level. Each city has its own unique set of resources and pattern of …
IEA SHC Solar Academy: Record Participation in Solar Heat for Industry Webinar
With more than 500 registered participants from 78 countries, Solar Heating for Industrial Processes has been the most frequented webinar of this year’s series hosted by the International Solar Energy Society, proving that there is great interest in this solar thermal application among planners, collector manufacturers and research institutions. This …
IEA SHC Task 58: “We will need new and innovate designs for heat and mass exchangers”
Thermochemical materials (TCMs) used in storage tanks show higher heat capacities than water and smaller losses over time. They are crucial to an increase in solar use among consumers and the storage of summer heat for the winter season. However, they are also more complex than their water-based counterparts, which …
SHC and SWC 2017: Early Bird Registration Now Available
Benefit from an early bird discount by registering for the joint solar conferences in autumn in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, until 31 August. You need to register only once to attend both the SHC 2017 – International Conference on Solar Heating and Cooling for Buildings and Industry and the …
IEA SHC: Free Pre-Sizing Tool for Solar Heating and Cooling
In 2015, Task 48 – Quality Assurance & Support Measures for Solar Cooling – came to an end. One of the activities of this IEA Solar Heating & Cooling Programme task was the creation of PISTACHE, a tool for professionals who need to pre-size solar cooling, heating and domestic hot …
IEA SHC Solar Academy: Solar Heating for Industrial Processes
Researchers have worked intensively across national borders to increase deployment of Solar Heat for Industrial Processes (SHIP), which is regarded as one of the most promising solar thermal applications. When IEA SHC Task 49, Solar Heat Integration in Industrial Processes, was launched in 2012, there were reportedly around 120 SHIP …
IEA SHC: Solar Heat Worldwide Highlights Remarkable Achievements and Addresses Challenges
In late May, the IEA Solar Heating and Cooling Programme (IEA SHC) published its annual report titled Solar Heat Worldwide (see the attached document). It is the most comprehensive study of solar heating and cooling markets around the globe and has been referenced by international organisations such as REN21 and …
IEA Task 55: Solar District Heating Means Big Business
Solar district heating is attractive business. Not only does this become obvious when looking at the 347 MWth of newly installed SDH capacity in Denmark in 2016, but also when one hears about Big Solar, a 250 MWth collector field – with 1.8 million m² of seasonal storage – planned …
IEA SHC Task 54: Investigating Cost Factors Along the Value Chain
Researchers have worked intensively for one-and-a-half years across national borders to find ways of reducing the costs of solar thermal systems and making them more attractive to end users. The members of Task 54 of the IEA Solar Heating and Cooling Programme, Price Reduction of Solar Thermal Systems, have discussed …
IEA SHC: How to Turn Historic Structures into Nearly Zero Energy Buildings
More than one-fourth of all residential buildings in Europe date from before 1945. Over the past decade, preservationists have taken to the idea of renovating historic structures in an energy-efficient manner. The planned IEA SHC task titled Deep Renovation of Historic Buildings Towards Lowest Possible Energy Demand and CO2 Emission …
IEA SHC: New Task to Push Emerging PVT Industry
Inventors and start-ups have been trying to combine photovoltaic and solar thermal collectors into one product for many years. Finally, a new industry seems to be emerging. The IEA SHC task Application of PVT collectors and new solutions with PVT systems, which is currently being defined, intends to become the …
